The Internship
by Rikku-Hoshi
Summary: When Yuna falls in love at first sight with a blitzball player, she can't help but attempt to get closer to him by interning for his team. The problem? She doesn't want to let on that her reasoning for interning is him.
1. Obsess

...Alright, it's another summer, and of course, that means another fanfiction from me. Yup... it must be my summer thing or something?

Anyway, I have to... apologize. This story came to me last year when I was working on _The Mode_. So, it shares a slight similarity with _The Mode_: Like in _The Mode_, this story also is a summer story of Yuna + an internship. I can't help it, guys. I'm trying to get an internship myself, so it's kind of on my mind, I guess... so sorry. But I promise, that is one of the ONLY things this story shares with _The Mode_. Well, that and the fact that it's also in first person point-of-view, from Yuna's POV. Otherwise, I promise it's totally different!

Also, I must apologize for the fact that I'm using this as an experimentation. Which means, I must ask you guys a favor. :) I'm trying something new with this story that I've never tried before. I'll make a list of what I'm trying to do:

1.) I'm writing this story in present-tense. You know, as if it's happening right now. Which is hard because it's more natural to write a story in past-tense, and also because sometimes, the story does go back to past-tense when the past is visited. So it's hard to write because it gets confusing.

2.) I am also experimenting with letting the reader into Yuna's mind. So there are side-notes given to the reader by Yuna. This also might be confusing.

3.) I'm trying to give you guys the MINIMUM details in this chapter. I'm hinting at a few things that will be discussed later in the story, but I don't want to just flat-out say it. Again, this might get confusing...

So, in conclusion, PLEASE let me know if anything confuses you. I'm usually not a fan of "constructive criticism" because I am one of those people who can't handle it (it's true... I'm sorry...), but in this situation, I'm begging for it. After all, I'm not going to lie, I use fanfiction as a way to judge how people like my writing. So, again, feel free to help out all you want. :)

In conclusion, I present to you all a new story from me that I hope you like. :) I didn't want to write it, but I couldn't stop thinking about it, so here it is. Enjoy!!

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**Chapter 1: Obsess**

I don't know if I believe in love at first sight. But I'm not sure how else to explain it. I mean, how else do you explain this? How do you explain me, standing in front of a huge stadium in _Zanarkand_ of all places, suitcase in hand, laptop-in-bag slung over my shoulder, and probably way too much makeup piled onto my face? It had to have been love at first sight.

Is it love at first sight though if it took me a good month or two to figure out that I was in love with him? Is it love at first sight if it's unrequited? If he simply smiled at me and left my life for what I thought was forever, uncaring that I was madly in love with him? I purse my lips and continue to stare at the arena. It was love at first sight.

How else could I explain my sudden infatuation with a guy I only spoke to twice? How else could I explain the fact that I quit the job that led me to meet him and watched every blitzball game he played, memorized all his stats, and was now standing in front of a blitzball arena, ready to take a job that I otherwise never would have applied for?

It's raining, which is definitely not a good start to my summer. Even so, I can't bring myself to walk into the large building that looms in front of me, despite the fact that my hair is soaking in the moisture of the rain and the makeup is undoubtedly running. I blink a few times. It's summer, I remind myself. Surely the makeup was unnecessary. He's not here anyway.

With that as my final thought, I take a deep breath, and march up the stone steps leading to the main door. When I reach the door, I find myself stopping, and I take a deep breath. I'm here. I'm in Zanarkand. I turn around, glad to be guarded from the rain by the awning over the door.

I'm in Zanarkand.

I feel like giggling suddenly. I allow my eyes to dart around my rain-induced hazy surroundings, and imagine what the arena must look like when blitzball is in-season. I imagine the fans rushing to the box-office to purchase the tickets they didn't think they needed. The season-ticket holders rushing through the seats, waving at people they know. Everybody clad in jerseys, kids sitting on their father's shoulders, clinging to blitzballs. I spin around, not caring about the dreamy expression on my face. This is professional blitzball. This is the location of his team. _His_ team.

I quickly attempt to wake myself up from my revelry. I smile as if smiling to myself, as I remind myself that it's not my fault. It's been an entire year of dreaming and wishing to be standing on the very step that I am standing on. How could I not take a few moments to revel in the fact that I was finally standing in front of the main door at the Zanarkand Grand Stadium?

It'd been a scheme I had hatched the second he left. I vowed to find a way to get there, to get to where he was. And that was when I stumbled upon the option.

I was browsing his team's website (…okay, and I'll admit, I had been maybe _obsessively_ checking the website. In my defense, I wanted to see what his new number was going to be!) when I saw that there were employment options. Curious, I clicked on the option, and it was then that the plan formed. Summer internships available. _Perfect_.

It wasn't really that easy, though. I spent the year building up my resume, searching for places to live, convincing my father… and then, when I finally was able to apply, I spent every night without sleep, my eyes pried open. What if I didn't get the internship? Then what? What if they turned me down? What if they said I would never even get another chance? What if I got it, and my father decided not to let me go?

And the worst. What if I did get it?

My stomach churns. I did get it. I was ecstatic. My dad wasn't so ecstatic, but he allowed me to go. And now, here I am. Zanarkand. The Zanarkand Grand Stadium. My suitcase is packed. My laptop is slung over my shoulder. I even bought the summer's trendiest clothes, trendiest makeup, and had my hair chemically straightened (even though it was already straight…) and got a new, trendy haircut. I felt as though I was going to a fashion internship, and not a sport internship.

But I had to. I bite my lip. I had to do all of that. Because he is here, somewhere in this city. And that is the reason why I not only dreadfully wanted to come to Zanarkand, but also the reason that I _dreaded_ coming to Zanarkand.

"When he sees me, he's gonna know I came just for him," I find myself whispering out loud as I put my hand on the handle of the door. With a deep breath, I pull hard, and open the door.

-

It had to have been love at first sight. I was one of those girls who thought they were above love. I was self-righteous and maybe even a little full of myself. I thought makeup was for the "easy" girls and never bothered to do my hair—I always just put it in a pony tail. I was a freshman in college and was studying hard, focusing on nothing but class, studying, and my part-time job that I hated.

Me being me, I thought I was pretty special for going to my town's private school, and not the dull public university that mostly everybody seemed to go to. The bad part, of course, was the price-tag. Which meant a part-time job for me.

I looked everywhere for a job. It's funny—I managed to snatch up a fairly competitive internship with little problem, but getting a retail job was another story. I tried everywhere I could think to try—the mall, office buildings, lawn-care companies, and even McSpiran's! Nothing was hiring! I was ready to give up altogether when I finally found the job. My dad actually found it for me, saying that he was driving home from work when he passed the Bevelle Civic Center, and saw a giant "NOW HIRING" sign on the window. Apparently, my father told me with a large, proud grin on his face, the Bevelle Civic Center was home to Bevelle University's blitzball team. And as winter drew near, they needed people to work concessions.

The idea appalled me. So yeah, maybe it was better than working at McSpiran's, but not by much. I had visions of myself mopping dirty bathrooms, drunk blitzball fans breathing their beer-breath on me as they ordered their nachos, and myself delivering popcorn to old creepy men in their private boxes. Just the same, I knew it was the only job I would be able to get.

I did get the job, too. And in October, I was there, for the university's home-opener, standing at a small cart that offered free samples of a new sports drink the university was endorsing.

The uniform I had to wear consisted of a scratchy black polo with khaki jeans. I put my hair into the usual bland pony tail, and arrived at the Civic Center two hours before the game, like I was supposed to. My manager gave me a quick preview of what I was supposed to do ("Stand here and say, "would you like a sample?"' the short, large man said to me), and with that, I was left alone. Throughout the wide hallway of the civic center's concourse, it was just me, a large cooler full of the sports drink, and numerous paper cups for me to pour the bottles into for samples.

I began my job, deciding that at least I'd be getting paid to just stand there. I poured out the samples into the cups, and began to set them out in front of me on the table.

Suddenly, I heard laughter and voices echoing throughout the hallways. I stole a glance at my watch, and furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. The doors wouldn't be opening in another hour. I felt my face lighten. Surely it was other workers arriving, those poor souls who had to work concessions, slaving over pretzels, nachos, and greasy hamburger grills.

Instead of seeing fellow black polo wearers with khaki pants, I saw a group of young men running toward me—that's right, running—wearing what appeared to be black warm-ups. It didn't take me long to realize that it was a blitzball team. Of course, I had no idea if it was the home team or the away team.

They ran around the corner toward me, their voices booming through the concourse. They didn't seem to be taking their warm-up jog (that's what I was assuming it was) very seriously.

I saw a few of their eyes go to me, and they appeared shocked, for they must not have expected anybody else to be in the concourse.

"Oh hey, I wonder what that girl has," I heard one of them say.

"Looks like some kind of juice?"

The two talking passed me, running ahead of the rest.

A second group passed, and they were mostly silent, their eyes quickly scanning over me and my samples, and talking about something I didn't understand.

A third group approached then, and I realized this was the group whose laughter I heard. They appeared to be younger than the first two groups of runners, and they were laughing so hard at something that they could barely seem to run straight.

And that's when I saw him.

"Yevon, I'm so damn thirsty!" he said, and just as the (rather crude words) escaped his mouth, his eyes suddenly flickered to my own. At that time, I had no idea that I would be treasuring the look I first saw in his eyes.

Of course, his eyes didn't stay on mine for long, and instead, they dropped to the cups I had lain out on the table.

"Hey, perfect!" he said, and he jogged over toward me. I felt my eyes widen in horror. I didn't know if blitzball players were allowed to receive free samples.

"Tidus, you can't just go steal that juice stuff," one of his teammates said as they ran past, shaking his head.

"Is it okay?" the guy—Tidus?—asked, as he picked up a cup of the blue liquid.

I had no idea, but I found myself nodding.

"Excellent," he said. "What is it?"

"Some… sports drink," I managed, and I grabbed a bottle of it and held it up.

"Is it good?" he asked me, his smooth face seeming honestly concerned about the taste of the beverage.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I haven't tried it."

He put the cup to his lips and quickly gulped it down.

"Hey, not bad," he said, putting his empty cup back down where he had picked it up, and then wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his black jacket. "If you need a sales pitch, just tell 'em Tidus likes it." With that, he raised his eyebrows at me, and darted off toward his team.

And that was it. I couldn't stop thinking about him. I left his empty cup there, which caused much confusion from the many blitzball fans who came to try the drink. And without knowing why, when people asked me if the liquid tasted good, I told them just what Tidus had told me to tell them.

"Well, Tidus of the blitzball team likes it!" I'd say.

To my surprise, they acted as if they had no idea who Tidus was. Finally, a man decked out in what appeared to be Bevelle University merchandise enlightened me, saying, "Oh, that new freshman! He's small, but I hear if he can put some weight on, he'll be good" when I told him that "Tidus likes it!"

Tidus the freshman. Not well-known apparently. Tidus. I couldn't help but play his name over and over in my head. Without even realizing what I was doing, I managed to take a look at the blitzball program. I smiled at Tidus' roster picture. He looked younger than the rest, and a quick glance at his stats proved this. He was my age, whereas everybody else on the team seemed to be at least a year or two older.

I couldn't help but smile at my picture. His blue eyes didn't seem to sparkle in the picture like they had when they had momentarily met mine. In fact, he looked nervous and uncertain in the picture, his mouth slightly agape, almost as if he wasn't ready for the picture to be taken. I even ended up buying the program.

I continued the work at the job for two months, sometimes working concessions, and yes, sometimes mopping the bathroom. The job was disgusting and demanding, but I didn't mind. I never did see Tidus run past again, but I liked to hear about how he was doing from the fans who went into the concourses during halftime to talk about the game. Every time I heard the buzzer go off inside the arena, I always found myself holding my breath and leaning my head toward the doorway, hoping to hear the announcer announce that it had been Tidus that had scored the goal.

Halfway through the season, it was usually Tidus' name I heard floating from the speakers as the announcer announced his goal. And every time, I felt myself sigh, as I sat there at my table, the sports drinks spread out around me, my head in my hands. I wanted to be able to see one of Tidus' goals.

And that is why I quit. The job market was better, and I managed to find a job at my school's bookstore, the perfect job, considering that I never had to work weekends. Weekends were for blitzball games.

It was unpleasant not being able to walk through the Civic Center doors early, and my hopes of seeing Tidus run past again were no more, but there was a surge of excitement that could not be matched as I finally was able to take a seat inside of the arena, with the blitz sphere in front of me. I was a good hour early, one of the first people through the doors. There was always a small satisfaction I got, knowing that I was in the same building as Tidus. For some reason, knowing that it would be the first time I actually got to see him since the first time I saw him gave me an even greater sense of excitement.

Finally, the guys swam out for warm-ups, and my eyes darted through the pool for him. I know I probably didn't breathe when I finally caught sight of him. There he was, swimming quickly, his eyes focused ahead of him, the number twenty-three blazing on his back. He was chomping hard on gum, which shocked me, especially since I had no idea how he managed to chew gum underwater. The whole being-under-water thing didn't even seem to phase him.

The game started, and it seemed as if everybody was on the edge of their seat when Tidus was in the pool. I heard the people next to me say "I can't wait to see what that kid does today." It made me smile. I just a matter of months, Tidus had gone from a nobody mooching free samples from me who only an old die-hard fan knew of, to the fan favorite.

It wasn't far into the game that I realized why Tidus had grown into a fan-favorite. He was breathtakingly amazing, and perhaps I was biased in that opinion, but I really didn't breathe whenever the ball was in his hand. He swam much smoother than the others (not that I was really watching them) and his movements were perhaps more fluid than the water around him. He could easily dark around his opponents, his mouth agape, even though I wondered how he kept from inhaling the water around him.

Throughout all of this, I couldn't figure out my apparent obsession with Tidus. I couldn't figure it out at all.

But when I saw him push his way through two of his opponents and dart around a defenseman, it began to dawn on me. And when he suddenly threw the ball off of the goal post and spun around to kick his own rebound into the net, I knew the answer. As the crowd around me jumped up, covering my view from Tidus, I knew exactly why I couldn't get him out of my mind.

I was in love with him. Love at first sight, maybe, but no matter what the reason, I was in love with him. I was in love with a blonde blitzball player who I knew nothing about.

And that is why I am now standing in the glamorous entrance way of the Zanarkand Grand Stadium, suitcase in hand, laptop slung over my shoulder, eyes wide and outlined in blue eyeliner. That is why my heart is pounding, my brain running. That is why I haven't been able to sleep, both from excitement at being able to see him, and from dread of what he's going to think when he realizes I've followed him all the way to Zanarkand.

I swallow hard. He wouldn't have remembered me from my days working in the civic center. He wouldn't remember the moment when our eyes first met. But he would remember the last time I saw him, just a year ago. He would remember me.

But it would be worth it. My eyes suddenly narrow in determination. It _will _be worth it. I'm in his territory now, and it's just me and him. No distractions, no interruptions. And besides, it's _summer_. Blitzball offseason. I might not even see him. But being in the same city as him gives me the same exhileration that being in the same building gave me.

With my chin up, I put on a smile, and I continue forward. There's no escaping me.


	2. Impress

Okay, I'm actually kinda excited about this chapter. Dialogue is my forte, I'm not gonna lie. So at the beginning of this chapter, I was kind of panicking that I would never finish it, because it was so boring. But I ended up pulling out a flashback with lots of dialogue so it made me happy. ALSO, I promise I'm not gonna make Yuna doormat and crazy (...well, maybe I shouldn't _promise _that... I want her to be a likable character, so I'll try hard to make her seem less obsessive. Or at least, it'll make more sense or something) and I'm gonna try to make Tidus... different. What I mean by different is that I want him to be different than he's been in past stories. We'll see though. I'll try though.

Oh, and thank you for your reviews. They were very helpful!

ENJOY!

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**Chapter 2: Impress**

His name is Wakka. He is not much older than me (maybe five years older?), and is very tall with flaming red hair and looks amazingly awkward in the suit he is wearing. He is slightly fidgety and nervous acting, and it isn't long before he tells me that he is new to the job. He tells me that he is the internship coordinator and also shares with me that I am the only summer intern. Apparently not too many people are interested in interning for Zanarkand's farm club ("Especially when the big teams like Luca and Bevelle pay their interns," Wakka shared with me).

Wakka is my coordinator and basically my boss. He seems unsure of himself as he leads me through the office area of the arena, nodding to the closed doors that belong to coaches. I drag my suitcase behind me as we walk, my laptop beginning to feel as though it weights five-hundred pounds on my shoulder. I hide my discomfort though, and nod understandably as Wakka gives me "the tour."

"And dis here," he says, not bothering to hide his accent, which I'm guessing is a Besaid accent, "is where you'll be working." He opens the door and allows me to peak in. The room is small, and leads into another room.

"A guy named Baralai will be working at this desk," Wakka says, nodding to the other room. "You guys will kinda work together. He's head of our marketing and public relations department."

"Cool," I just say, nodding toward the empty desk. "So it'll just be us?"

"Ya, pretty much," Wakka says slowly, nodding his head. "Most people go home in the summer. You'll just be handling some calls and season ticket orders and stuff like that."

"I see," I say, nodding along with Wakka.

"So you lookin' to work wid a team someday?" Wakka asks me then, as he smiles me a true, genuine smile.

I smile back at him and nod. "Yeah, I'd love to," I say.

"How come you interned wid dis team?"

His question at first takes me aback. Of course, I guess it should have been expected. If I wanted to work with a team, why did I sign up to work for the Zanarkand Abes' farm team, and not the real team?

"Um, you know, this team has always interested me more," I say quickly, still smiling. Well, it is the truth. True, it was the Zanarkand Abes who were always on the sphere, and it was the Zanarkand Abes who had won the Spiran Cup, and it was the Zanarkand Abes who Tidus would someday play for, but for now, Tidus wasn't playing for the Zanarkand Abes. He was playing for the Zanarkand Wasps, the team affiliated but below the "big-time" team, the Abes. And now, I was interning for the Zanarkand Wasps.

"Yeah, there's somethin' special about da little team, ya know?" Wakka just says, an almost proud smile on his lips. "Da guys aren't as cocky, deiy're usually straight outta juniors or college. Just babies." He laughs, and then nods to me to show that we're going to continue the tour.

We walk down the hallway and eventually Wakka opens up a door. I realize we're down in a basement-y entrance to what is the actual arena. I feel my mouth open. The Zanarkand Grand Stadium is one of the oldest arenas in Zanarkand (the Abes have the pleasure of playing at the Centre Zanarkand Stadium, a brand new multi-trillion gil arena) which leaves the Wasps to play at the old arena. Even so, I can't help but feel my eyes open wide as I take a step forward. The pool is currently empty, and looks like just a large empty sphere. The stands are full of red cushioned chairs, the proper fashion of the 60's, which was the year the arena was built. I feel my mouth gape open. I didn't know much about professional blitzball, but I knew enough to respect the amount of history that the building I was standing in had.

"Wow," I find myself saying, "I can't believe I'm standing in the building where the most Spiran Cups have been won."

"Ah, you know de history," Wakka says, crossing his arms and following my admiring stare with his own. "The Spiran Cup is the oldest sports trophy in de history of Spira. And de Abes have won more of 'em than any other team. And most of 'em were won right here in dis building."

"It's almost sad that the Abes moved buildings," I say, as I look at the old scoreboard that hangs over the sphere.

"Ya, it is," Wakka agrees with a nod, "but de Abes needed a bigger building. And, let's face it, dis building is getting' real outdated."

"I guess," I say, nodding.

"But, de Abes still have their training camp here," Wakka says, giving me a smile.

"When is that?" I ask.

"In five weeks."

"Five weeks?" My head spins to my left to look at Wakka. "The Abes will be here in five weeks?"

"Ya, of course," Wakka said. "Dat's when you'll be de busiest. There'll be lots of work t'do."

"A-And the players will come…" I pause, "…here?"

"Yup. Not all of 'em dough. Jus' the younger guys. It'll be mostly Wasps."

_Mostly Wasps_.

"Oh, dat's right," Wakka says then, giving me an almost strange look. "You're not from 'round here, are you?"

"No, I'm from Bevelle," I say.

"Bevelle…" Wakka says, and then suddenly looks thoughtful. "Did you got to the University of Bevelle? They have an awesome blitz program at dat school, ya know. We have a few guys from dere… do you know Tidus?"

My head flashed to the side again, and I felt my eyes widen. _Tidus_. Could I tell him I knew Tidus? Did I know Tidus? Did Tidus know me? I tucked my lip under my teeth, and then realized that Wakka was probably getting confused by my silence.

"Um, I know the name," I finally say. "I don't go to the University of Bevelle, but I've been to a few of their games. He seemed nice…"

Wakka let out a short laugh. "I bet he was interesting when he was in college. Prolly totally wild and crazy."

"What makes you think that?" I ask, mostly out of curiosity.

"Dat's how he is," Wakka says with a shrug. "Wild an' crazy."

"He is not." As soon as those words escape my mouth, I instantly wish I hadn't allowed them to. Wakka gives me a confused look.

"Do you know him?" he asks me again.

"No, no," I say quickly, shaking my head. "Uh, I, um… I heard from a friend that he wasn't really like that. T-That he didn't even go out much."

"Ya, I guess dat sounds like him," Wakka says, shaking his head. "He gets too wrapped up in either da game or his video games."

I find myself smiling. That's exactly what I had heard back in Bevelle.

"But when he goes, he goes," Wakka continues, and he turns around, leading me back toward the office area. "You shoulda seen 'im at de rookie party. He was _insane_."

"Is he well-liked?" I find myself asking. I didn't mean to start quizzing Wakka on Tidus, but since the topic came up, I can't help but do so.

"Oh ya, everybody is," Wakka says. "But Tidus, he's a fan favorite for sure."

"Really?" I say, stopping in my tracks. "How popular is he?"

"Pretty damn popular," Wakka says, shaking his head with a smile on his face. "De guys love 'im, de fans love 'im…"

"Why doesn't he play with the Abes then?" I cut in.

Wakka stops, and he looks at me, a quizzical expression on his face once again, as if he suspects there's something I'm not telling him. I feel myself cower. I don't want him to think I'm a Tidus fangirl.

"Well," Wakka finally says, and he continues walking, "I think Tidus is getting a little too big for his britches. De big guys don't like dat."

"What?" I say, and then remember that I have to drop the subject. I finally just shrug and say, "Oh, I guess the Abes don't want that…"

"No, dey don't."

-

After giving me a tour of the completely empty stadium, Wakka directs me across the street to a very large and very nice hotel, which is where I'll be staying. The thought is a little unpleasant, but Wakka told me that most blitzers new to the team stay at the same hotel until they find a place of their own. The thought reassures me, for some reason. I can't help but wonder if Tidus too had to stay at the hotel when he first arrived in Zanarkand.

My room is a typical one-bed room, but it is complete with a bathroom and a desk, so I decide that it's alright. I also have a fridge and a microwave, but for the most part, I have no idea how I'm going to survive. I decide I'll be living on Easy-Mac and McSpiran's. Probably the same diet as blitzball players.

The hotel's lobby is very impressive. There is a grand staircase which splits into two sides, with areas to sit on either side. The entire hotel is very glamorous, especially compared to the historical but outdated building across the street.

Once I manage to get unpacked, the panic suddenly begins to hit me. From my window, I can see the stadium that I will be spending my summer in. And in five weeks, Tidus will be at that stadium. Okay, so it's not like Wakka said "TIDUS will be here in FIVE weeks" or anything like that, but Tidus is a member of the Wasps, and he belongs to the Abes farm club team. Of course he'll be there. He will be in that building right there.

"Alright Yuna," I say softly, as I throw myself on my bed, "that gives you five weeks to think of a better reason for being here than "I stalk you Tidus." So start thinking…"

I roll my eyes. The truth is, I don't _stalk _him. Stalking would be driving past his house, taking pictures. Or, better yet, lying on my stomach under a bush with binoculars and/or a paparazzi camera. And I'm not doing any of that. I'm just interning with a semi-professional blitzball team that I happen to enjoy watching. It's not _my _fault it also just-so-happens to be the team Tidus plays on. "Yeah, it's not your fault, Yuna…"

It's then that I decide I need to stop talking to myself.

I jump up, and walk shakily to the bathroom. _I'm going to be fine, I'm going to be fine_ runs over and over in my head.

I look at my reflection in the mirror. The green eyeshadow, the blue eyeliner… the dark mascara in my already dark eyelashes. The new, stylish cut complete with highlights. I barely recognize myself. I thought flashes through my head. Maybe Tidus won't recognize me either!

My eyes roll again. Of course he'll recognize me. How could he not? I walk back to my bed and throw myself down once again. I let my head sink into the hard bed beneath me. It had only been six months ago.

Yevonistmas. Snow on the ground, blitzball in-season. No school. Nothing but hot cocoa and reading by the fireplace. It was early, around nine o'clock in the morning. I was always up early, unable to sleep in for some reason. This particular morning was surprisingly bright, despite the fact that it was winter. For some reason, the weather seemed peaceful, even with a few flurries of snow falling lightly to the ground.

I was in a dreamy state of mind, so I quickly dressed in my favorite sweater and quickly ran a brush through my hair, and decided to head off to my favorite coffee shop, being that I was out of the make-it-yourself-hot-cocoa. I climbed in my car singing a Yevonistmas tune, and drove to the coffee shop. It was a Monday morning—too late for the coffee shops "regulars" and too early for the unemployed. There was no one there except for a tired looking employee.

I ordered my hot cocoa and took my usual seat on the worn leather couch in front of the fake fireplace and saw that the newspaper was sitting at my side, on the sports page. I had just picked it up to check how Bevelle's University was doing. Tidus had gone pro months before, so I had stopped going to the Bevelle games. Just the same, I was still wondering how they were doing.

I heard the door ring then, signaling that someone else had come in. I didn't hear the employee say anything, but I heard a deeper voice say, "Just a coffee please." For some reason, I quickly laid down the newspaper, and looked behind me. I felt my entire face drop. Standing there, looking very tired, and with his hands in his pockets, was Tidus.

My heart immediately began to pound. I had managed to convince myself that I would never see him again, and yet, there he was, right before my eyes. I turned back around and looked at the fire. What could I say to him? Could I say anything to him?

Without thinking, I jumped up, probably a little too quickly, for the girl working turned around and gave me a weird look. Tidus didn't notice though. He was looking off to his right, away from me, at the newspaper. I wondered if he was reading the sports section like I had just been.

He was wearing a black jacket and jeans, with a blue stocking cap on. It was pulled up, his blonde hair poking out lazily. I heard him let out a yawn as I slowly approached him, my eyes wide and unblinking.

My heart was still pounding, but I found that I wasn't shaking or anything. In fact, I didn't really feel nervous at all.

"…Tidus?" I finally said.

He turned around and for the second time in my life, his blue eyes met my own. Only this time, instead of them only being on mine for a fleeting second, they remained.

I knew I had to continue, before he asked me who I was, or worse, decided I was crazy or something and walked away.

"Um, I'm Yuna," I began. "I remember watching you with the U of Bevelle. You went pro though, right?" Of course I knew the answer to that question, but I had no idea what else to ask.

To my surprise, Tidus gave me a small smile, and said, "Yeah."

"How's it going?" I asked, giving him a small smile in return. I was beginning to feel a little shaky. "I-I mean with the pro team and all."

"Pretty good," came his answer. His eyes were still on mine.

"That's good to hear," I said.

The attendant handed Tidus his coffee then, which he took, and then reverted his attention back to me.

"So you're a blitzball fan?" he asked me.

"Yeah!" I answered, nodding. I decided to leave out the fact that the only reason I was a fan was because of him.

"Didn't you used to work at the Civic Center?" he asked me then. I felt my face fall again. How did he remember me?

"Yeah!" I said.

"At concessions?" he asked.

"Um, sometimes," I said. "I didn't work there very long."

He nodded, and took a sip from his coffee. He made a face then, and then smiled. "Needs cream," he said. He walked over to the counter with the cream and sugar, and quickly dumped quite a bit of cream into his coffee. He grabbed some sugar then and ripped it open, and dumped it into his coffee as well. He did this three times, and then slowly stirred.

"So you go to Bevelle?" he asked me then.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I go to a private school about twenty-five minutes away."

"Oh," he said slowly, nodding, still stirring his coffee.

"So you back in town to visit friends?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "We get a really small Yevonistmas break, so I decided to come here. Most guys go to like Besaid or Kilika or somethin', but I hate to fly. Faster just to drive here."

I nodded, hoping I didn't seem as awkward as I felt.

"Must be nice though, to just be able to hop a flight to Besaid or Kilika," I said, smiling. Blitzball players _did _make good money, after all.

To this, though, Tidus laughed. "I don't make _that _much," he said. "Not yet, anyway." He took another sip of his coffee then, and nodded. "Much better," he said.

I just smiled at him. I noticed he had a slight scar on his right cheek that I hadn't noticed before. There was also remnants of a cut on his forehead.

"Blitzball must be tough," I said, and he must have saw me looking at his battle wounds, for he touched his forehead with his right hand and laughed.

"Got in a fight," he said. "It could've been worse."

"A fight?" I asked.

"Yeah. You can't do that in college blitz, but pro blitz is a totally different story. Some guy was pushin' me and shit, and so I just turned around and popped him one. Turned out to be not such a good idea… he was twice my size and one of the most well-known fighters in the league."

I didn't want to tell him that I had seen that fight. I had streamed that game on my laptop, and could still remember sitting on my bed in my room, my mouth completely open in fright, as Tidus fought a huge guy.

"Well, it must have been balls-y of you," I finally managed.

"Yeah," Tidus said, smiling. "It's been my only fight though. You get like five minutes in the penalty box, and that's no good."

I shook my head to say no. "You can't score then," I said, giving him a smile.

He smiled back at me and nodded.

"So are you heading back now?" I asked. Why else would he be up so early?

"Yeah," he said, confirming my suspicions. "I'm on my way out right now. Just thought I'd stop and grab a coffee. I'm dead tired."

I smiled knowingly, and said, "Well, have a safe trip."

"Thanks," he said, giving me yet another smile. I decided I liked his smile: slight, but yet soft and warm. I hoped my eyes didn't show the fact that I was bursting with happiness.

We stood there then, rather awkwardly. I guess neither of us knew what the proper way to say goodbye was.

"Thanks for saying hi," Tidus said then, his face suddenly serious. "It's nice to meet people who knew me before I was drafted by the Abes. In Zanarkand, it's like everybody knows me as someone else. It's kinda annoying, but I guess it's my fault… anyway, these little meetings make me kinda happy." He stumbled through the last few words, as if he was thinking of how to word them. Every time a sound came out of his mouth though, my heart seemed to beat faster. I smiled at his words, still hoping my eyes weren't deceiving me.

"Anyway, maybe I'll see you around or something?" he said, and to my utter surprise, he held his arms out, signaling that he wanted a…hug.

I didn't say anything, I simply slipped my left arm under his outstretched right arm, and wrapped it around his waist. I lost all feeling then, and really have no idea if he hugged me back. All I know is that I felt my pounding heart float up to my head, and I knew that with that single hug (and it wasn't even a full hug!), Tidus had made me… well… high.

"See ya," he said then, and with a sip of his coffee, turned around and headed out the door. I was too dumbstruck to say anything, so I simply lifted my arm in a sad-excuse for a wave. I don't know if he noticed, for he never looked back.

I wanted to turn to the attendant and gush to her that TIDUS had just hugged me, but I managed to keep it in. I know I started to shake then, and I went back to my spot to claim the hot cocoa I had left, and could barely lift it due to my shakes. I watched him drive away in his large, new looking SUV. And it was then that I vowed that I would see him again. That I would hug him again. That I would hear his voice again. That I would have him smile at me again.

And that is why I am now lying on my back, staring at the ceiling in fear. Tidus will remember me. If he remembered me from working concessions all the way back then, he would remember me from the coffee shop. I just know.

And I will be seeing Tidus if five weeks.


	3. Suppress

I am seriously super, super, SUPER sorry for taking just short of FOREVER to update! Seriously, I am so sorry. And I also apologize because this isn't the longest chapter either. Sorry! Just the same, I hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 3: Suppress**

Day one. Day one of about thirty-five before I get to see Tidus. I swallow and tap my pen on my desk and attempt to take in my surroundings.

The place is completely empty. My office is rather bland, and I find myself poking my head toward the door, which opens into a bigger office—the office of my supervisor, who is not in. Wakka told me he would be in around noon. My eyes look over to the clock. It's 11:45.

My first task as an intern is to write in the name of season ticket holders on the letter that will be sent out to them—apparently to make the letter appear personalized. I wonder what the ticket holders will think when they open it. Wouldn't they be disappointed knowing it was just some intern who was writing out their name and not a player? I look at my handwriting. Obviously the writing belongs to a female. Maybe the ticket holders will just assume a player has girly handwriting? I don't know. I simply write out the names, one after another, my hand cramping as I write. I like doing it though—it's mindless, and it gives me time to think.

Mostly, I think about Tidus. I'm scared to death to see him. Thirty-five days. That's not long enough. I swallow. What's he going to think? He'll recognize me. He'll know I'm that girl in Bevelle who randomly talked to him. I swallow. He'll know I'm doing this internship for _him_. Why else would I be interning for the Zanarkand Abes' _farm team_? The team Tidus _just so happens _to play for?

I sigh, and then find myself grow frustrated as I realize I accidentally wrote out "Tidus" instead of the name I was supposed to write on the letter.

"Shoot!" I find myself saying out loud and I quickly crumple up the paper, feeling my cheeks grow red at the thought of someone discovering my freaky obsession with Tidus.

My body slowly relaxes. Freaky obsession with Tidus. It's sad, isn't it? The way I feel about him? I find myself wanting to put my head on my desk. It is sad. I wish I had a good reason for my feelings, I really do, but I just… don't. I can't control my feelings, I can't control the desire I have to be with him. It's not even that I necessarily want a romantic relationship with Tidus—it'd be great, don't get me wrong—but it's not necessarily want I _want_. What I want is to get to know him better. To be his friend. To be able to call him and ask him "How are you?" since it happens to be something I wonder quite often. _How are you doing, Tidus?_

As I think about this, I find myself slowly smoothing out the letter that I had just written his name on. I just want to see him. But I don't necessarily want him to see me. I don't know. It's all so… weird.

At that moment, the door suddenly opens, causing me to very noticeably jump. I quickly grab the sheet of paper and threw it down on my lap, which was covered by the desk.

A tall, young man walks in, his left cheek tucked in, as if chewing on it thoughtfully. His hair is very light—platinum in color. He is dressed casually, his chocolate-colored eyes looking at his desk, and not at me.

"Where did I put that…" he muses to himself, his voice very soft and gentle. I watch him without breathing, almost afraid that he will notice me sitting there, red blush wrapped around my cheeks from the embarrassment of being caught in the middle of a daydream, the crumpled letter with Tidus' name written on it sitting on my lap.

He walks over to the desk and opens up the drawer, and then smiles, revealing white teeth to match his hair.

"Here it is," he says, his smile still on his lips. His eyes then look up from the paper, and write on me.

I had begun to breathe again, but now I hold it, a look of shock undoubtedly plastered across my face. He, on the other hand, does not seem shocked to see me.

"Oh, hi," he says, his smile now completely lighting up his rather tan face. "You must be the new intern? My name's Baralai."

"I'm Yuna," I say, and I hope my smile isn't awkward. I know I should stand up and greet him and shake his hand or _something_, but the last thing I want is for that letter to fall from my lap.

"I'll be kind of like your supervisor," Baralai explains, his smile still apparent on his face. "But right now, I gotta meeting I gotta go to. See you in a few hours."

"Alright, bye," I say, and I do my best to shoot him a normal looking smile. He walks out quickly, the paper he found in his desk clamped in his hand. The second he is gone, I quickly crumple up the paper again and stuff it into my pocket, promising myself to burn it later. Or put it through a shredder multiple times. Something.

Just as I'm turning back to my long list of names that need to be written onto letters, Baralai's head suddenly appears in the doorway.

"I forgot to say, you're welcome to come with," he says, giving me a small smile. I notice an urgency in his eyes. I wonder what the meeting is about.

"S-Sure, I'll come with," I say, feeling glad to get away from the long list of names I still need to write. I've been writing names for three hours, after all, and a break sounds nice.

I stand up, and steal a side-glance at my pocket to make sure it isn't bulging out too much. I don't want Baralai to ask me what's in my pocket, after all.

Baralai waits for me in the hallway outside of our office (if I'm allowed to refer to it as _our _office—it certainly seems as though the office belongs to him, while I get to do my work in the closet) and smiles at me almost impatiently. He doesn't wait for me long—the second I reach him, he begins down the hallway.

"So what's the meeting about?" I ask, walking swiftly to catch up to him.

"Some budget junk," he says, shrugging.

"Seems important…" I say, smiling at him.

"I got the budget plans right here," he says, showing me the sheet of paper he had grabbed out of his desk. "I just got back from vay-cay in Besaid, so I'm a little out of order this morning. Didn't wake up when my alarm went off, hence why I'm so late. Then I got to the meeting and forgot I left this in my desk."

"I see," I say as we walk. "…So, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is your job?"

"Me? Eh, I do stupid little things," he says, shrugging at me. "Like keep track of the budget."

"Sounds…exciting," I manage.

He laughs. "Yeah, _real _exciting." He turns down a large hallway then, and then into a small banquet room. He takes a seat toward the end of a long table and nods to the seat next to him for me to sit in. I do so, sitting down slowly. I notice Wakka is sitting at the table on the other side and away from us, and I see him give us a smile, and then turn his attention back to the graying man at the head of the table.

"Here's the budget," Baralai says, and he slides the sheet of paper toward the man at the head of the table.

The man looks at the sheet, nodding every now and then. "So we can cut from janitorial duties, right?" he says, looking up.

"I guess we could," Wakka says softly. "How much are we over by?"

"Not too much, but the Abes are over far more than we are," the man says, his voice gruff. Two men dressed very nicely begin to talk then, and I realize that everybody's attention is on them. No one seems to even notice me, and actually, no one seems to notice Baralai much either.

Baralai slowly drums the fingers of his left hand on the table, his right hand hidden under the table.

"We're probably not needed, he whispers to me then, his head casually turned toward me. Wanna get lunch or something?"

I look at the three men at the end of the table, who are now bickering about something, with Wakka shaking his head with a worried expression on his face.

"Sure," I say. "Where will we get lunch?"

"Here," Baralai says, and he stands up silently. I follow, and out the door we go.

He shuts the door softly behind him, and shakes his head, a slight smile on his face. "I forgot how boring that meeting was gonna be. Sorry for dragging you along."

"That's alright," I say. "My hand was cramping from all that writing I was doing, anyway."

"Yeah, you get to do all the fun stuff, eh?" Baralai says, shaking his head. He starts walking down the hallway, with me following, lagging just a little behind him.

"There's a little kitchen in here," he says, turning into a room and flicking on the switch. "It's for the guys, actually, but since most of them aren't here, we might as well help ourselves, right?"

I nod, and follow him in, feeling my stomach drop. It's for the _guys_. As in Tidus. Tidus eats here. Or, at least, I assume he eats here.

"Bagel?" Baralai asks, as he pulls himself a bagel out of its bag and plunks it into the toaster.

"Oh, sure," I say. Baralai grabs another bagel and puts it in the slots next to his. "Toasted, right?"

"Sure," I say, laughing, since he has already put it into the toaster anyway.

"So where you from?" he asks quickly, as he grabs two paper cups from a package on the counter and hands me one.

"Bevelle," I answer as I take the cup.

"The U of Bevelle?" he asks, raising his eyebrows at me.

"N-No," I answer quickly. "I go to a small private school. One that doesn't have a blitz team"—I decide to clarify that.

"Do you go to any games? Professional, college, whatever?"

"Yeah, you know, every now and then," I say, feeling as though I can't speak. I wish I was from somewhere Tidus had never been from. I could see in Baralai's eyes that he was going through the names and faces of everybody he knew from Bevelle.

"I think we have a few guys from Bevelle," he says then, confirming my thoughts. "It's hard to keep track of where everybody played college or junior blitz though. Easier to remember their hometowns and stuff."

I simply nod, and act as though I have no idea if anybody came from Bevelle. I feel a smile crawl onto my lips then, and I say, "Are there any hometown guys? You know, guys playing here who are originally from Zanarkand?"

"A few, of course. I'm mean, it's _Zanarkand_, after all. I think Naya's from here, Toma, Cetan, Tidus, and—."

I stop listening when he says Tidus' name. My heart skipped a few beats it seems, and I feel my eyes quickly dart to Baralai, who was now turned to pull out his bagel from the toaster.

He grabs a plate and plops his bagel onto it, and hands me a plate. I grab my bagel and put it onto my plate slowly, my eyes on Baralai as he puts a slice of ham on his bagel.

"Ham?" he asks me, a small smile on his lips.

"Sure," I say, taking the package.

"Cheese?" he asks then after putting a slice of provolone cheese on his sandwich.

"Sure," I say again, taking the cheese from him.

"Want something to drink?" he asks me then, opening the fridge.

"Um, sure," I say, as he pulls out a bottle of water.

"Water?"

"Sure," I just say, taking the bottle from him. He smiles and grabs a bottle for himself, and then lifts his plate, toward a table. I follow, deciding that I like Baralai. He is much younger than I was expecting, maybe two or three years older than I am. He seems easygoing, but business-oriented at the same time. I decide that is the perfect mix for me.

I take a seat across from him, setting my plate gingerly in the spot next to me. I notice there is a flyer on the table, and Baralai is reading it.

"This must be the flyer for rookie camp," he says, sliding it toward me. "You ever been to a rookie camp before?"

I shake my head no, and my eyes go to the flyer. It's a picture of three guys swimming toward each other to congratulate the player in the middle—a dark-haired player with his arms in the air, signaling that he had just scored—for scoring a goal. My eyes remain on him for some time, as I try to recall who he is. I look at the guy at the right, and recognize the name on the back of his jersey, but am unsure of what he looks like. Then, I look to the left and feel my mouth fall open slightly. It's Tidus. Just his back, but it's Tidus.

"So these three guys will be at rookie camp?" I ask. "Even though they're obviously not rookies?"

"Yeah," Baralai says, looking at it upside down. "You can come to three rookie camps. They'll be on their third, but I'm sure they'll be there. It's always a good time. The guys like it. The fans like it. It'll be fun."

"I'm looking forward to it," I say, although my stomach seems to gargle loudly at that moment, and I know the sound is not from hunger. It's from the nerves that come from the thought of seeing Tidus. My eyes look back at him. Nerves _and _excitement. And I'm not sure which emotion is greater. At this moment, sitting in the room where Tidus has undoubtedly sat before, my nerves are greater. What is he going to think?

Baralai is eating now, and I follow suit, my eyes still glancing at the picture of Tidus every now and then. Thirty-five days. I have thirty-five days to gather my courage and to get my story straight. I obviously can't tell Tidus the truth, that I'm there for him. The bagel is hard to swallow.

We ate in silence, but as soon as we were finished, I knew what to ask Baralai.

"Do you know these guys?" I ask him.

His eyes flicker to the flyer, and he shrugs and nods. "Yeah, I know 'em," he responds.

I want to smile, but I refrain from doing so. "What are they like?" I question.

"You know, typical blitzers," he says. "This guy here's from Kilika, so he's got a little bit of a head but he's mostly a modest guy. Likes to have fun. He's from a small island, ya know, so being here kinda scares him. But he's a good guy. This guy here's from Luca, so he's a pretty good fit. Not your typical Lucan, thank Yevon, and he gets along with pretty much everybody. He's young. This guy here"—Baralai was now pointing at Tidus, "is a young guy. Twenty-one, I think. Maybe twenty-two. He's a Zanny boy, so he's good. He's got legacy and all that jazz behind him. Now he's just gotta deflate his head."

"Deflate—what?" I stutter.

"He's got a bit of cockiness to him," Baralai says with a shrug. "The guys like him. And the fans love him. He lost out on fan-favorite to the captain by one vote. And pretty much the whole city votes on that, so he had a good ten-thousand votes."

"Isn't that a good thing?" I ask, as I feel my insides beaming proudly at the fact that Tidus was well-liked.

"Oh yeah," Baralai says. "He's a talented kid. He's just gotta readjust his attitude."

"What attitude?" I ask, hoping I don't seem too defensive of Tidus.

Baralai laughs and says, "If you meet him, you'll know what I mean."

I want to tell him that I _have _met Tidus. But I bite my lip. Baralai obviously doesn't know Tidus.

"Well," Baralai says then, standing up. "I guess it's back to work now, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I say slowly, nodding. Baralai walks over to the garbage and dumps his plate into it, and I slowly follow, my eyes wanting to return to the flyer.

Baralai turns to the door then, with me on his heels. Just as Baralai turns the corner to exit, however, someone else turns the corner to enter. The two quickly take a step backwards, Baralai blocking my view from the newcomer.

"Oh hey, you're still in the city?" Baralai asks, and he takes a step backward toward me.

"Sure am," I hear a voice say, and then, my face drops, just as the newcomer's face is visible to me. His face drops too as soon as his blue eyes meet mine.

Standing there, right in front of me, staring at me as I stare at him, is none other than Tidus.


	4. Distress

Alright, I really need to say "I'm sorry" for a good... 500 times. Seriously. I am so sorry you guys. I meant--really, truly meant!--to get an update out before last Thursday, because I had relatives come then, and I just _knew _I wouldn't get anything done with them here. So I started working hard on this chapter, and then... just stopped. And then my relatives came, and sure enough, no time to work on it. So seriously, I am utterly sorry. I promise to try as hard as I can to get another chapter out as soon as possible. And I also apologize for this chapter's short length... I tried and tried to lengthen it, and it just wouldn't lengthen! Oh well, right? Anyway, please enjoy!

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**Chapter 4: Distress**

I wanted to run away. I wanted to run away as fast as I could. To turn right around and exit through the other door in the room. And then run and run until I was back in Bevelle, safe in my house.

And at the same time, I never wanted the moment to end. I never wanted to have Tidus leave my sight. I wanted to stand there, fully in-shock, staring at Tidus, who also appeared fully in-shock. I never wanted the moment to end.

Baralai is the one who caused it to end.

"So you just bumming around then?" Baralai said. I think he noticed the apparent tension between Tidus and I, but he said nothing on it. He kept it casual.

Tidus slowly looked away from me (and I'm not going to lie, I felt a mixture of happiness and dread at the same time, the two emotions filling up inside of me) and over to Baralai.

"Yeah," he said, very slowly. "I have nothing better to do." His eyes came back to me.

I swallowed, and knew that even though I didn't want to leave, I had to. The situation wasn't about to become any less awkward. And so, I quickly ducked past him, and darted out of the room, hoping my departure didn't make the entire thing even more awkward than it already was.

And now I'm at my desk, writing out more names on the forms, my eyes darting uneasily at the doorway, as if expecting Tidus to appear. Baralai is still gone, maybe still with Tidus. It shocked me, actually, how chummy Baralai seemed to be with Tidus. From the way he was talking about Tidus just moments before our run in, I would have assumed Baralai either didn't know Tidus very well or didn't like him very much.

I see a flicker in the doorway then, and I feel my heart begin to pound. It isn't Tidus, though, but instead Baralai.

He walks in and sits at his desk, letting out a low sigh as he picks up a sheet of paper lying in front of his computer.

I want to ask him where Tidus is, but I refrain, and instead continue to write out names. I only have fifty or so to go.

Baralai and I work in silence for some time, and I am no longer on the edge that I was on earlier. Instead, a small smile has curled itself onto my face, and I know I am slipping into a dreamy state once again. The crumpled up sheet of paper in my pocket is uncomfortable against my leg as I sit, and reminds me that I should really not go into my dreamy state.

It's hard not to, though. I feel myself close my eyes as I let out a slow sigh. Tidus. I had just seen him, just been so close to him. It was ridiculous of me to think about it—to obsess over it!—and it didn't take me long to open my eyes quickly. Tidus undoubtedly thought I was creepy. He had to. He recognized me. That much I knew. I could see it in his eyes.

It started out with confusion. And then, I saw his face slowly relax with recognition. He knew it was me.

I lick my lips and look up, and find myself jump slightly. Baralai was sitting at his desk, his eyes on me. He was staring at me in thought—I could see that much in his brown eyes.

He notices that I'm looking at him, and leans back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"So…" he says slowly, "that was… kinda strange between Tidus and you."

I don't know what to say. I swallow, and shrug, and pretend to turn back to my work.

"You're not star-struck like the rest of Zanarkand's population, are you?" Baralai asks me, and I notice a playful smile on his lips. His smile relieves me. Perhaps he thinks I just find Tidus attractive. _Which, I do_, I add to myself. Too bad there's more to it than attraction. But maybe it wouldn't be bad to play off of it…

Baralai continues before I can think any more. "I just remembered that Tidus played for the U of Bevelle. Do you remember him?"

My eyes dart up to Baralai, and I shrug. "Maybe?" I say, not meaning to make the word sound like a question.

"He wasn't a star for them or anything at first," Baralai explains. "He was disappointing, actually, considering who his dad is."

I have to hold my tongue—_disappointing_? Not a word _I _would use to explain Tidus.

Baralai continues. "But I guess he had a breakout sophomore season or something? The Abes see something in him, anyway. Although I'm not sure what."

Baralai is making me angry, and I begin to hope it doesn't show in my face. _Shut-up, shut-up, shut-up_ runs through my head, and I can feel my right nostril raise just slightly in disgust.

"But hey, the fans love him. Probably for his looks."

I lick my lips, and I cross my arms. "Tidus interests me, _actually_," I say, hoping I'm not glaring despite the fact that I dreadfully want to do so. "I think he's very talented. I can't understand what he's still doing playing with the Wasps."

At that moment, Baralai and I both suddenly hear a stiff "huh" from the hallway. I feel my heart drop, and both Baralai and I quickly look at the open doorway, where Tidus is standing there, his arms crossed, his eyes on me.

Before either Baralai or I can say anything, Tidus says, "Sorry, but I don't need _you _standing up for me." His words catch me off guard, especially the harshness of his tone. He looks away from me then, and cocks his head to the right, his eyes now on Baralai.

"Anyway Barry, Wakka told me to ask you if you had the scouting reports."

"What do you need those for?" Baralai asks, not fazed the least that Tidus caught him talking about him. Before Tidus can answer though, Baralai already has the papers out.

"Checking out your competition?" Baralai asks, handing Tidus the papers.

"Dude, what's your deal?" Tidus just says, shaking his head. He casts a quick look at me, and I think I see him roll his eyes. With that, he walks out, shutting the door behind him.

"Could he get any fuller of himself?" Baralai asks, shaking his head.

"He's not full of himself," I say.

"You're pretty defensive of him," Baralai shoots back at me.

"You don't know him!" I say quickly—too quickly.

Baralai shakes his head and turns around in his chair to face his computer.

"And you supposedly don't either," he says. "Although with the way you and Tidus act around each other… you sure he's not an ex-boyfriend or something?"

"No," I say, and I don't bother to hide the defeat in my voice.

"So what then?" he asks, his face suddenly looking to have some concern. He must have noticed the disappointment in my tone.

"Apparently he just doesn't like me," I just say, turning back to my work.

"And yet you're still gonna defend him?"

I don't know how to answer that. My heart slowly begins to pound. I had been so focused on the fact that Tidus had heard what I had said and had heard what Baralai had said that I had forgotten his words to me. They were harsh. Mean. Not even slightly nice. I try to think of his words on a more positive note. Maybe he is just embarrassed that a girl is standing up for him?

"Well, what about you, Baralai," I say, attempting to sound confident. "Really, what's your problem with Tidus? Was it something personal?"

"No, of course not," Baralai says. "I'm just telling it to you the way it is. Wakka's sold on him, but that's just 'cause Wakka's a huge fan of his dad. I don't know, I read a lot of coach's reports and stuff. The kid's not impressing."

"Why not?" I ask, no longer worrying about my emotions showing. I can hear it in my own voice—it hurts to think that Tidus isn't doing well. Even if he was just a jerk to me (and I couldn't be certain—I didn't want to think about what Tidus thought…) I still wanted him to do well.

"Got me," Baralai says with a shrug. He looks at me then, his stare rather hard. "But I think I seem to know him better than you do."

"You do," I say quickly, knowing—and not caring—that I'm going back and forth. I sigh and turn back to the last of my work, but I do not doubt that I keep feeling Baralai's eyes on me every now and then.

Finally, I finish. "I'm done," I announce, aware that it is the first thing I have said to Baralai in over twenty minutes.

"Good for you," he says, and I feel myself frown at the sound of his voice. He sounds bored with me, but as if he is purposely trying to sound that way. He is facing his computer, his mouth curved into a scowl, his eyebrows furrowed, his fingers of left hand drumming loudly on his desk.

"What would you like me to do next?" I ask with a smile, forcing my voice to sound a little more uplifted. I can't create tension between my supervisor and myself, after all.

Baralai's face slowly softens, and he turns to me and says, "That's probably good for today. Feel free to go do whatever you want."

"Here?" I ask, knowing I sound stupid.

He lets out a silent laugh and says, "Wherever."

"Alright," I say, standing. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yep," comes his quick answer. "See you tomorrow."

-

Tidus. Tidus, Tidus, Tidus. I'm walking down the sidewalk, heading to my hotel, my eyes dreamily looking ahead of me as I walk. Tidus. Just hours ago, I saw Tidus. I spoke to Tidus! I… I stop—literally. Tidus.

It was my worst nightmare come true. Tidus did recognize me (and, okay, so I smile a little bit when thinking about this. He knows who I am!) and Tidus also had the pleasure (or, not so much pleasure…) of hearing me stand up for him.

I came here to see Tidus. I came here because the feelings I have for him are so overwhelming that I truly had no idea what else to do.

I sigh. I don't want him to think I'm a creep, a total obsessive freak, but maybe that is what I am. It's…_hard_.

"I wish I knew why I feel this way," I find myself mumbling as I reach the door to the massive hotel.

I open the door and walk in, my mind everywhere. I had a lot of planning to do, really. How was I going to get myself out of the mess I was in? The funny thing was is the fact that I wasn't even in a mess. So I had a little awkward meeting with Tidus. And so Tidus wasn't exactly as friendly as he was the previous time I had seen him. The world hadn't ended. Life was still going on, I was still living. I had all summer with Tidus. I was sure of that now. All summer to make him understand that I just want to be friends. I bite my tongue. Okay, so I'd love to be _more _than friends, but for now, the goal had to be just friends. Just friends.

I repeat "just friends" over and over in my mind as I walk up the stairs. The staircase is marvelous, actually, and has a landing with a chair and a couch, overlooking the lobby. Plants are all around, making the staircase appear both glamorous and slightly tropic. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it. In fact, I feel my eyes glance at the vacant chair. Perhaps, I think to myself, I'll come back to sit on that chair and read. Later. Once I manage to gather my thoughts.

-

The hardest part about being in my shoes is that sometimes, I think there was a mistake. Or maybe Cupid actually played a joke on me, or something. I was standing there, doing my cruddy job, and all of a sudden, there was Tidus. And then BANG! Cupid decided to hit me with his arrow. Who knows, Cupid's probably still around, laughing at my misfortune.

Because I _am _misfortunate. I drum my fingers on my desk and look at my laptop. I have my e-mail up, and my curser is flashing, as in begging me to type something. But I'm not sure what to say. I want to tell my friends all about what happened today. They wanted to know, after all, how my internship was going. I know I can't tell them about Tidus—they couldn't possibly understand. But that's all I want to talk about. I want to explain to them how amazing it felt, no matter how awkward it was. I want to tell them the wonderful feeling of my eyes meeting his, his eyes which seemed so much brighter and bluer than the last time I had seen them. I want to describe how his hair is just a little shaggier than before. I want to tell them how nice he looked in the plaid shorts he was wearing. I want to tell them that he can wear a polo shirt better than anyone I have ever seen before.

I want to tell them how my heart floated up when my brain realized it was him standing in front of me. I want to tell them that I haven't felt this happy since that hug. That hug that caused me to completely lose it.

Instead, I decide to focus on Baralai. I tell them all about Baralai—how he's younger than what I was expecting, and how I'm not entirely sure how to _take _him. He was nice and helpful at first, but now? I bite my lip as I type. Well, he seems negative. I decide to leave it at that. I add that I'm having fun, and with that, I write my name, and hit the send button, leaving Tidus out completely.

I don't feel satisfied, though. My stomach churns. I think about Tidus. Baralai has to be wrong about Tidus. And surely Tidus was just shocked to see me and didn't know how to act? I sigh, and decide that the next few days will certainly be more interesting than I was originally thinking.

In the meantime, I know I have to get my mind off of everything. I pull out a book I had just bought and decide to take a trip to that comfortable looking seating area on the staircase.

I walk out of my room, shutting the door behind me, feeling better, actually. I walk swiftly toward the staircase, almost in awe of how _good _I feel. I think it's finally beginning to hit me—I'm in Zanarkand. Tidus is in Zanarkand. And even though I'm not sure what to think of him, the feeling of knowing that I will hopefully see him soon is—for now, anyway—very pleasing.

I turn to go down the stairs, when I stop. My stomach flips upside down, and the happy, breezy feeling I was just feeling instantly goes away.

Sitting on the very chair that I had been eying just hours ago is none other than Tidus.


	5. Mess

Ooh, this one's a shorty. I apologize. I had fun writing it though! I love chapters with lots and lots of dialogue, and this one had plenty. Plus, I kinda like what I'm doing with Tidus (whether he's OOC or not, I like it, so deal, 'kay?)--plus... ah man, I can't _wait_ to get to the "training camp" parts. :D You'll all have to be patient though, 'cause that won't be until toward the end. But seriously, I can't wait. Haha. In the meantime though, enjoy! (Oh, and P.S. thanks for the reviews you guys!)

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**Chapter 5: Mess**

He has a laptop on his lap, and he looks… bored. His cheeks are inflated with air, which makes him look completely ridiculous and adorable at the same time, while his eyes skim over whatever is on the screen. He doesn't see me, despite the fact that he's facing me.

I stand there for quite some time, staring at him in shock. _What's he doing here? Is he here for me? How does he know I'm staying here? How would he know I was thinking of sitting in that _exact _place?_

Finally, I blink a few times. I'm being stupid. True, I have no idea why he's sitting there (_to check his e-mail perhaps? But why in_ my _hotel?_), but that's not the point. The point is that he is sitting there, and I cannot stand just feet away from him, goggling, ogling, making an utter fool out of myself.

I turn around quickly. Alright, so I'd have to read in my room. I take a step, and then stop. I let out a long, silent sigh. Tidus is sitting there, completely by himself. Just him. And I'm…just me.

I let out another sigh, and turn around. He is still sitting there, just as he had been before, although he has blown the air out of his cheeks. Just me and him. Finally, a moment to talk to him.

I swallow, and take a step toward him, and then another. And then, quickly, I take a seat on the couch next to the chair.

"Hey," I say, my voice coming out much stronger and clearer than I could have ever imagined.

Tidus looks up at me, from over the top of his laptop, his blue eyes shocking me as they always have. There's something about his eyes that always cause my mouth to slide agape. I attempt to get a hold of myself, and close my mouth.

Tidus simply looks at me, his eyes surprisingly full of thought, but at the same time, impossible to read. He could be happy, he could be angry, he could even be sad! I tuck my lip under my teeth despite my attempts not to. I decide I don't want to know what he's thinking.

His lips part then, as if he's going to say something. I feel as though anticipation is swarming around me. _Say something…say something…say something_ runs over and over in my head.

He doesn't. His lips close, and his eyes turn back to the laptop, but only momentarily. Even so, my heart sinks. Is he ignoring me?

Finally, with his eyes still on the screen, he says, "So you're staying here?"

"Yeah," I say, probably a little too quickly.

His eyes glance up, but then back down. He shows no sign of speaking again.

Finally, still without looking at me, he says, "That figures. This is the closest hotel to the arena."

I see his eyes glance up over the top of his laptop again, and this time, they linger, right on mine, his eyes again full of thought, and yet almost dull, as if I'm only imagining the thoughtfulness within them.

Finally, I decide to speak.

"How come you're here?" I finally manage, only stumbling slightly over my words.

At first, he gives me a look as if to tell me that he isn't going to answer. But then he shrugs, and looks back at his computer, and says, "I bought a place up in the A-East district, you know, where all the Abes live. But it won't be ready 'til September, so in the meantime, I'm stuck here."

"I see," I say, nodding slowly. "It doesn't seem like many other players are here."

"Why would they be?" he says, and I hope I'm imagining the snotty tone I hear in his voice. "Training camp's in jus' a few weeks. So no one wants to be here." He looks up at me again, and I notice his tone gets more and more gentle as he speaks.

"Do you guys dread training camp?" I ask.

"Well yeah, everyone dreads rookie camp," he says, and, although I'm sure I'm imagining it, I see a small smile prying at his lips. He leans back then, and cocks his head to the side, his eyes still on me, and I begin to feel as though I am not imagining the smile at all. There really is one prying at his lips. I swallow. Do I want to know why he's smiling?

"I remember you," he says then, crossing his arms. "The girl that worked at the civic center."

I feel a little shocked. I had already assumed he remembered me, and am not entirely sure how to take the confirmation he had just given me.

"I think I remember you because of your eyes," he continues, his expression softening slightly. "They're not really easy to forget."

I feel as though I can't breathe and my chest begins to tighten. I feel my heart speed, the beating so soft and fast I can hardly feel it. I keep my mouth shut though, in fear that I will shout out that his eyes aren't easy to forget either.

"And then at the coffee shop…" he says slowly, shaking his head, his blonde hairs moving from side to side with the motion. He pauses for some time, and then looks back at me. "So what are you doing here?"

"I-Interning," I say, after a momentary pause as I attempt to find myself. "I'm an intern."

He laughs. "I figured _that_ out," he says. "_Why_?"

_Why_. The very question I had been fearing the most from him.

I swallow and stare at him, hoping my stare appears blank and not full of fear. My heart is now pounding, no longer soft and float-y, but instead hard, as if there is someone inside of me pounding on my heart with a mallet.

"Um, because I love blitzball, and this was one of the only internships I could get," I say. I realize that I add a bit of intonation at the end of my sentence, and I hope Tidus doesn't notice that it sounded more like a question than the strong statement I was attempting.

I don't think he buys it, for the smile is still prying on his lips and he nods. I can't help but wonder if he's mocking me.

_When did I get such negative thoughts toward Tidus?_ runs through my head. I curse Baralai in my head. I'm sitting across from Tidus, and all I can do is worry about… well, things I wouldn't have previously worried about!

"I'm getting school credit and stuff," I manage, shocked at how stupid I sound.

"Cool," he just says, although I don't think he really thinks it's _cool_. "So Baralai is like your supervisor or something?"

"Yeah, pretty much," I say, glad that the conversation seems to be a little less awkward. At least that question didn't require any thinking or lying or story-telling.

"He's a douche," Tidus says then, rolling his eyes, and then leaning his head into his hand. "What's he told you about me?"

I feel my forehead wrinkle. "Should he have told me something?" I question.

Tidus laughs—and I feel myself smile at the sound—and shakes his head. "That guy hates me. I don't know what his deal is, other than that he's a douche. He's just jealous or something I guess."

I shrug. "He hasn't said much to me." I try to remember what Baralai had said. Currently, sitting across from Tidus, I'm having enough trouble remembering the English language let alone what Baralai said to me.

Tidus' eyes roll again, and he sits up and turns back to his screen. I hear a sound come from it as if he has shut it down. The confirm this, he closes the top, quite loudly, actually.

"Well," he says then, a slight smirk on his lips, "you're gonna learn pretty quick that I'm a little bit different than I was in Bevelle. Just so you have a head's up."

With that, he stands up then, his slim laptop tucked under his arm. He walks smugly past me, but then stops when he reaches the floor, and looks back at me, and I notice an expression I had not previously seen on his face. His eyes are suddenly wide, his mouth slightly agape. He looks almost… scared. Scared and maybe… I don't want to think it. I swallow, and allow my mind to think of the word: _lonely_.

He gives me that look for some time, before he rolls his eyes, only this time, instead of at me, it seems to be at himself, as if he's double-guessing something. Finally, his pushes his lips together, and he says, "What's your name?"

I feel as if he meant the question to be harsher than it was. It starts out abrupt and blunt, but when he finishes, I can't help but feel as though he really wants to know the answer.

"Yuna," I say.

"Right, Yuna," he simply repeats, and then he turns back around and starts to walk away from me.

I watch him leave, aware that my mouth is once again agape and that I'm obviously staring at him. He doesn't look back, however.

He disappears up the stairs, and I feel myself suddenly feel a tad sad, as though I won't be seeing him again. I take a deep breath though, and remind myself that I _will _see him again. I have all summer, and now I know he's even in the same hotel as me. I bite my lower lip and nod. I will see him again.

-

I had a dream that night, adding to the many I had had already that starred Tidus. And, similar to some I had had before, it basically consisted of him giving me a hug. Only this time, we were standing on the stairs, embracing. I had on a long ball gown, and Tidus had on a suit. When we pulled away from each other, however, I realized it wasn't Tidus I was hugging. Instead, it was Baralai. He smiled his set of perfect teeth, and said something to me, but I couldn't hear. I asked him what he said again, but it was as if I had gone deaf. And I wanted to figure out _why _Baralai was there when I had been so convinced it was Tidus I was hugging. But Tidus was nowhere in sight.

-

"Hey, funny thing," Baralai says to me from his desk, a smile on his face.

"Yeah?" I say, not bothering to hide my disgust at the fact that I was stuffing more envelopes.

"I had a dream about you last night," Baralai says. I feel myself tighten at his words. Him too?

Baralai doesn't wait for me to continue. "You were like… gushing on and on about how in love with Tidus you are. The whole time I was trying to get you to talk about something else, 'cause I like knew Tidus was listening and didn't want you to embarrass yourself. But you wouldn't shut up. You just kept going on and on. And then Tidus came in and pulled one of his tantrums and you started to cry. And then I woke up."

I feel my pen snap in my hands as he finishes his story, sending ink everywhere.

"Oh!" I cry, as I quickly grab my stack of papers and envelopes to guide them away from the ink. I realize I have ink all over my hands and shirt.

Baralai laughs, obviously not caring that not only do I have ink all over, but his dream caused me to push my pen onto the table so hard that it exploded.

"Here, I have a towel," Baralai says, and he throws it to me.

"Thanks," I say, as I quickly wipe the ink off of the desk. "Um… I'm gonna just go to the bathroom quick and try to get this ink off of me."

"Good luck," Baralai says through suppressed laughter. I shoot him a cool look, and then walk out, feeling rather frustrated—not necessarily at the ink splattered across my white top, but rather at Baralai's dream. Why would he have a dream like that? I feel a disgusted look spread itself onto my face. Unless Baralai _knows_. My nose wrinkles. Baralai must know that I have feelings for Tidus. I sigh. I did make it pretty obvious.

I begin to feel annoyed. I'm already annoyed enough at the dream I had the night before. Dreams like that have always annoyed me, because… I always know the meaning of them. Obviously I'd rather be hugging Tidus. And obviously I want to hug Tidus. But yet it was Baralai. I sigh. What's that supposed to mean? That I'll end up hugging Baralai? That Baralai and I are meant to be or something?

My nose gently un-wrinkles itself. There is something slightly charming about Baralai. He seems important, although he doesn't seem to take his job seriously. I also find myself smiling gently at how easy it is to be comfortable around him. His personality is carefree and easygoing, and joking at the same time. Just the same, there is a hint of seriousness to him that I feel as though I have yet to fully unlock. I swallow. I have a feeling he has a temper, and that is one thing I would never like to meet.

I turn the corner almost to the bathroom, when I feel my heart completely drop. _Why?! _my head screams, much to my shock. My body fills with dread, and quite frankly, _annoyance_. When I arrived, I truly thought I would only have to worry about running into Tidus during training camp. And yet, there he was, walking toward me, a snicker on his face as he notices the ink splattered across me.

"Not gonna say anything," he says, and I can hear the snicker in his voice.

"A pen exploded," I simply say, unsure of my reasoning for explaining myself. "Is there something funny about that?"

"No," he says, "but I can't say I've ever had that happen to me!" He loses it then, and starts laughing. By now, he has passed me, and I feel my nose wrinkle up again. I want to chase him and ask him what his deal is. How he could go from the sweet blitzball player in Bevelle to the snickering… I couldn't bring myself to say it. I sigh. Sure, Tidus seems like a jerk, but... well, a part of me isn't willing to admit that. Not yet.

Instead, I fight the will to stand there and watch him pass and I turn into the bathroom, reminding myself over and over: _I have all summer_.


	6. Caress

Alright, again, I am SO SORRY for taking next to forever to update! Ahh! And in all honesty, this is kinda a filler chapter. But, if it makes up for it, I liked how it turned out a lot. So I hope you guys like it too! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 6: Caress**

Baralai was kind of funny. His sense of humor was very dry, but once I caught on, I couldn't help but giggle to myself. He poked fun at Wakka in a playful way, slipping in bits of Wakka's accent to a conversation, and when I caught it, it _was _pretty funny.

More and more players were beginning to arrive, or at least, were beginning to return from their summer holidays to the grand city of Zanarkand. I didn't really get to meet them (other than the goalie, who, apparently is Baralai's best friend. He is a really nice, likeable guy, and liks to make fun of the fact that my name rhymes with Tuna) but I did see them every now and then (with the exception of the goalie, Cetan, who Baralai was sure to point out that the name Cetan sounded a lot like Satan). Most of the players seemed to be very chummy with Baralai, and, again not counting Cetan, a player stuck his head in the door at least once a day, if not more. The guys were always discussing golf outings and apparently Baralai is the better golfer of nearly every guy on the team.

It was cool to see the players, there was absolutely no denying that. I loved it when a new player would stick their head into the doorway to talk to Baralai. It was rare that I didn't recognize them. I had seen enough Termite games streamed onto my computer to know nearly every single player. I had always wondered what Tidus' new teammates were like, and now I was getting to see first-hand.

It was always easy to tell who was a player. They were all very similar—tan from too much time spent on the golf course (apparently a popular thing for blitzball players to do once their season is over? At least that's what Baralai told me) and smiling huge, mischevious smiles, as if they've been up to no-good.

Their attire is all similar: smart flannel-designed shorts with designer-brand t-shirts. Really, they dress nice. Especially for a group of blitzball players.

Rookie camp is nearing, which is why the players are around more and more, and I have to admit, it's more fun having the place more abuzz. The only problem is, I haven't seen Tidus in nearly two weeks. I can't help but wonder if he went on vacation or something, and I'm not about to ask Baralai.

Cetan is currently standing in front of me, leaning over Baralai's desk. The two are talking about something in hushed voices, and I act as though I am not interested in what they have to say.

Cetan lets out a loud laugh, so loud that I decide not to hide the fact that I wish I knew what they were talking about. My eyes launch off of the endless envelope stuffing that sits in front of me, and to Cetan's back, and then to Baralai's eyes, which are on me.

I look back at my desk, shocked that Baralai would be looking at me, but I look back up again, this time to see Cetan and Baralai's eyes on me.

"Hey Yuna-Tuna, do you play golf?" Cetan asks me, his smile warm and almost scarily inviting.

"Um, not really," I say. "Um, why?"

"Because we were wondering if you'd like to play golf with us," Cetan says, shrugging. "We need one more person."

"I probably won't be too much competition," I say. "Sorry."

"That's okay," Cetan says with another shrug. "We'll just play the short course—it'll be easy."

"I'm not sure," I say, shaking my head.

"Aw, come on Yuna," Baralai finally says. "You never get out, do you? It'll be something different. 'Sides, Wakka always lets us leave work early for golf. It'll just be a fun game."

"We'll go right now?" I say, giving Baralai a confused look. I look at the clock. It's only two in the afternoon, and I still have a lot of work to do. And I would be lying if I said I didn't want a break. The idea was extremely tempting.

"Well, three," Baralai says. "So we can change into golf clothes."

"I'm not so sure I have golf clothes…" I say, and it's my turn to shrug.

"Just wear what you have on," Cetan says. "So you in?"

"I—," I start, only to be cut off by Cetan.

"Aw, come on Yuna-Tuna. It'll be fun!"

"Fine," I say. "But I'm warning you, I'm not very good."

"No problem," Cetan says. "I'm gonna run home and grab my clubs. I'll pick you two back up!"

"I don't have clubs…" I say then to Baralai as Cetan runs out the door. Baralai's clubs are leaning against his desk, and I can't help but wonder if he was planning on going golfing all along.

"Don't worry, you can use mine," he says, flashing me a nice smile. I simply give him a small smile back, and turn back to my work.

"So we're leaving at three then?" I ask.

"More like, as soon as Cetan gets back," he says, and he rolls his eyes. "Who knows how long that could be."

I just give Baralai a small smile, and return fully to my work.

-

Cetan comes running in, his attire almost too suited for golf. His pants are pleated—yes, pleated—and khaki. His shirt is a dark green polo shirt and he is wearing a matching visor over his bushy blonde hair. He has a white glove on his left hand and his smile is very proud.

Baralai had actually just excused himself a few minutes before Cetan's arrival, so it was only me in the room. The time was a little past three, making Cetan a tad late.

"Hey, ready to go?" he asks as his bright face comes into the room.

"Yeah, I guess so," I say. "I don't know where Baralai went."

Just then, Baralai walks in, dressed in very similar attire to Cetan's, only Baralai's pants are white and not pleated, and his shirt is black in color. The glove is on his right hand, and is white, as is the hat on Baralai's head.

"I feel under-dressed," I say, my eyes wide in disbelief at their dress.

"No problem," Baralai says, and he reaches into his golf bag and pulls out a white hat similar to the one he's wearing. "You can wear this."

I want to say 'no thanks,' but Cetan grabs the hat from Baralai and puts it on top of my head.

"Alright, let's go. You know how Leblanc gets when I keep her waiting."

"…Leblanc?" I say, and Baralai takes my arm with his ungloved hand and leads me out the door, his bag slung around his other shoulder.

"Who's Leblanc?" I hiss in a whisper to Baralai as we make our way outdoors, following Cetan, who is practically running.

"Cetan's girlfriend," Baralai says to me, very calmly. "Just a warning, she's a tad prissy."

"Prissy?" I ask, and at that moment, we round the corner, and sitting there is a huge (and I mean HUGE!) SUV, gold in color, with spinning rims and all kinds of bling-y things I don't even know how to begin to describe.

Cetan runs around to the driver seat, and Baralai walks up to the backseat and opens the door, and motions with a smile for me to slide in. I can't help but give him a quick glare in confusion as I slide in, as Baralai walks around to the back to throw his clubs in, and then climbs in next to me.

It's then that I start to feel rather set-up. Turning to face me is a smiling Cetan (with that typical blitzball mischevious smile, only this time I know what he's up to) and a girl with extraordinarily curly hair and huge pink heart-shaped sunglasses. Her cheeks are smothered with blush and her lips adorned with shiny pink lip gloss to match her sunglasses.

"Hey Yuna-Tuna," Cetan says, just as Baralai shuts the door, "this is my girlfriend, Leblanc."

"Um, hi," I say, doing my best to smile. Leblanc looks absolutely _glamorous_. Her curls are perfect, her makeup (while overdone) perfect, and I can only imagine that she is dressed glamorously in golf attire just as the guys are. But worse of all, _this _is what a blitzball player's girlfriend looks like. _This_. This beautiful blonde sitting in her boyfriend's amazingly expensive SUV. I feel my eyes fall downcast. Tidus probably deserves—or worse, _has_—a girlfriend like Leblanc.

I look at myself. I'm dressed in a pair of white capris and a pink short-sleeved button-up sweater. I'm dressed for work, not for golf.

"Pleased to meet you, Tuna," Leblanc says to me after a pause.

Cetan lets out a laugh, and says, "Leblanc, darling, it's Yuna."

"Right, Yuna," Leblanc simply says, and she turns to face forward. I feel my forehead wrinkle. Is she chewing gum? I mean, nothing wrong with chewing gum, but… well, it doesn't seem as her face would go with a girl who chews gum.

"You okay?" I hear Baralai say softly at my side.

I don't feel like answering him. I simply shrug and look out the window. I feel my nostril lift in disgust as I notice Cetan looking at us from the rearview mirror.

I swallow. Now I feel like talking to Baralai. I want to ask him a few things, starting with the question as to whether or not this little golfing outing was planned or not, and following with what his deal is.

I bite my lip. Baralai's attractive. Baralai's nice. Baralai's helpful. And maybe—I steal a glance over at Baralai, who is also looking out the window—Baralai… I pause. _Likes me?_

I close my eyes and shake my head. Baralai isn't an option. I steal another glance at him. I wish there was a way I could tell him that.

We pull up to the golf course then, and I step out of Cetan's massive SUV rather shakily. I feel nervous, and I'm not really quite sure why.

Baralai and Cetan go to get their clubs, which leaves me with Leblanc.

Leblanc is taller than me, but only by an inch or so. She is wearing a white collared tank top with pink accents and a matching pink skirt. Her golf shoes also have pink stripes on them, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from asking her if she has different shoes for every outfit. I can't help but feel utterly plain next to her, especially with Baralai's large hat on my head.

"So, you and Baralai, huh?" Leblanc says, while smacking her gum—yes, she was chewing gum, pink bubble gum, actually—loudly.

"Yeah, we work together," I say, and I realize my answer doesn't exactly detract Leblanc from thinking that Baralai and I are a couple.

Before Leblanc can say anything else, Baralai and Cetan return, carrying their bags.

"Are we getting a caddy today?" Leblanc says, her voice slightly whiny.

"Not today," Cetan says. "We're gonna be real men and carry our bags!"

"Yevon, C's head is way to huge sometimes," Leblanc says to me, her mouth open in a dumb way as if to show her annoyance.

I just give her a smile and decide to stay closer to Baralai.

"We're going short course today, so we'll just walk," Cetan says, and Leblanc almost chokes on her gum.

Cetan ignores Leblanc and leads the way, with Leblanc following. Baralai and I follow as well, only falling back slightly.

The path is rather long, and I begin to wonder what I've gotten myself into.

"Thanks for coming with," Baralai says, smiling at me as we walk. "I was afraid I was gonna be the third-wheel or something."

"No problem," I say half-heartedly.

Baralai smiles at me, but then I see his smile disappear. Noticing that he is looking off to the side, I follow his gaze and feel my own face drop. Walking toward us, talking to a very tall man, is Tidus.

Tidus laughs at something, and then his eyes spot Baralai and me, and his smile slowly fades, but only momentarily. He says something to the tall man, shifts his bag up on his shoulder, puts on a grin, and starts toward us.

"What's he doing here?" I hear Baralai mumble at my side. As for me, I'm too shocked to do anything. I feel just as I had the first day I had seen Tidus at the stadium, or how I felt when I saw him at that coffee months ago. Or even as I had when I had seen him sitting in the hotel.

"Golfing outing, eh?" Tidus says, his grin growing slightly larger. "Co-workers playing golf. How nice."

"You shouldn't be shocked to see us here," Baralai just says, giving Tidus a rather nasty look. "I'm with Cetan."

"Oh, tell him I say hi," Tidus says, and Tidus' smile changes, but I can't tell if he truly means it—as in, if he really likes Cetan—or if he isn't being serious.

"Will do," Baralai says, the nasty expression never leaving his face.

"And Yuna," Tidus says, his grin changing back to its original form, "nice hat." With that, Tidus lets out a bit of laughter, and starts toward the lounge, following the tall man he had been with originally.

Baralai's eyes roll, and he smiles at me, and says, "Come on."

-

I trail as we walk back to the lounge. Baralai tries to walk slower, but Leblanc marches ahead, claiming that she's "ridiculously parched and needs a drink as soon as possible." Cetan follows hastily behind her, but he's too busy looking back at Baralai and saying, "I got a hole-in-one. A hole-in-_one_. And you still beat me! Seriously Baralai, what the hell is your secret?" And Baralai is too busy looking back at me, saying, "Don't worry Yuna, we can work on your game. Don't worry about it."

Meaning that, yeah, I sucked. Pretty bad.

We make it to the lounge, and Leblanc and Cetan march inside. Baralai sets his bag down neatly next to Cetan's, and says, "Coming?"

"You know, I'm actually going to work on my putt," I say, nodding to the little putting green that is next to the entrance.

"Okay," Baralai says, and he hands me his putter. "Do you want any help?"

"Go ahead," I say. "You're probably thirsty."

"Join us soon?" Baralai just says, as he hands me a ball.

"Sure," I say, and I give him a small smile. He smiles back, and then heads inside, leaving me alone. Which, for the record, is what I wanted all afternoon.

I couldn't take another minute of Leblanc and her constant whining. I couldn't take another minute of Cetan trying to please Leblanc while still trying to attempt to have a good time. And I couldn't take another minute of Baralai trying to be helpful by telling me to just pick my ball up and throw it, since hitting apparently wasn't my thing.

Rolling my eyes and trying to forget about my terrible score, I throw the ball onto the green and hit it quickly with Baralai's putter, which sent the ball much further than I had expected it to go.

I heard laughter then, causing heat to raise to my cheeks. How rude of someone to laugh at me!

"First of all, lose the hat," I hear a voice say, and I look up, my cheeks still burning, only to see Tidus standing very close to me, pulling off the hat. "Second of all," he says then, putting his arms around me and taking my hands in the most cliché way possible to fix my grip, "link your pinky and index finger together like this."

I look back at him without meaning to, shocked at the closeness. He doesn't look back at me, and appears completely focused in linking my fingers.

"And when you swing, you just need to take it back about this far," he says, holding my hands in his, the heat radiating from his body, and taking the putter back just slightly. "Trust me, you don't need to hit it as hard as you just did. You just need to…caress it."

I look at him, not bothering to hide the shock that must be radiating in my eyes. Tidus just gives me a blank look in return, and then releases me, his arms slowly unwrapping themselves from around me.

"You're lucky I'm not charging you for lessons," he says then, and he bends down to pick up Baralai's hat that he had knocked on the ground. He twirls the hat on his finger and looks at me thoughtfully. "So whadaya think of Cetan?"

"He's nice," I say. "Kinda maybe into himself?"

"Yeah, totally," Tidus says, and he tosses me the hat. "And Baralai?"

"What about him?" I ask.

"What do you think of him?"

"Well, I… he's nice."

Tidus smiles and rolls his eyes. "Oh yeah, he's nice alright."

I want to tell Tidus that Baralai is nicer than him. Or at least, so far Baralai has been nicer. I feel like being mean to Tidus, but I can't. Not after his sudden splurge of… was it niceness?

"Your golf game sucks," Tidus says then, and he slings his bag back on his shoulder and begins to walk away.

I find myself laughing. "You just had to finish with some mean comment, didn't you? What's your deal Tidus? You weren't always like this."

"Seriously Yuna, how do you know?" Tidus asks, turning around, his eyes full of disbelief.

"I just know," I say, and with that, I turn around and march toward the lounge, sticking Baralai's putter into the bag before entering the lounge, leaving Tidus standing there, his eyes on me.

**AUTHORS NOTE: Also, I so totally have heart-shaped pink sunglasses. XD Only I imagine Leblanc's to be like a super annoying shade of hot pink, whereas mine are light pink and I promise, totally cute. XD And I know golf is like random and probably not even in the world of Spira, but I teach tennis lessons with a bunch of guys who play golf and talk about it ALL THE TIME so what can I say, it was totally on my mind. And a lot of athletes play golf in their off-seasons (apparently tennis players do, anyway...) so I decided to include it. Just in case you guys thought that was weird... XD;;**


	7. Success

Okay, so seriously, I have to give you all a MASSIVE apology. Seriously, I apologize for the late, late, late updates. But, here it finally is! I totally didn't mean to write this chapter this way (I guess I kind of meant to "get to the point" a little sooner) but I like how this chapter turned out! I think it's cute! And I hope you guys do too. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 7: Success**

"Training camp. Better known as rookie camp," Wakka says with a broad smile on his face. I shift in my chair, my eyes glowing with excitement as I look at Wakka. _Training camp_. A week of drills and activities for the 'rookies' and fans. Finally I would get to do something other than stuff envelopes. Finally, I would get to see Tidus on a fairly regular basis, and for the first time, he would just have to deal with it.

I hadn't seen Tidus since the time at the golf course. According to Cetan, Tidus spent a lot of time at the golf course or in the workout room, a room I wasn't acquainted with (I couldn't even tell you where it is, despite the fact that it's located in the building somewhere). Cetan told me that a few days ago, Baralai and Tidus had a "Golf Game of Doom" that lasted hours and they ended up tied. Cetan went on to say that Baralai was "pissed off like crazy" and Tidus was "a smug little shit, 'cause no one even comes close to beating Baralai."

I tried to ask Cetan why those two didn't seem to get along, despite the fact that Baralai was popular with the team, and apparently, so was Tidus. It was just the two that didn't get along.

"Their personalities just don't mesh," Cetan told me with a shrug. "Tidus is flashy, Baralai's not. And they're both know-it-alls. Just in different ways."

And apparently, that was all there was to it. Nothing more.

"Yuna, do you think you can handle fans?" Baralai asked. "You're just gonna have to hand out these Zanarkand Abes cards to people after they get their autographs."

"I can do that," I say, giving him a smile.

"Alright, we're opening camp with autographs. We try to "market" certain guys who are more accustomed to dealing with the fans, so they'll be with you. You just have to hand the cards out and smile."

"Sounds easy enough," I say.

"Great. In the meantime, go help set the tables up," Baralai says.

The event was being held outside, down the walkway from the arena on one of the many Zanarkand beaches. I had to smile as I walked outside into the beautiful summery air. I hadn't spent much time outside other than walking to and from the hotel and the arena and my one and only outing at the golf course.

The air is salty as I get closer to the beach, and I notice people all around, putting up signs and getting merchandise stands ready. There is already a line of people standing outside the barricade, which takes me by surprise. The autograph session doesn't even start for another two hours, and the line is already pretty long.

Despite the heat, most people are wearing heavy blitzball jerseys, many Zanarkand Abes jerseys and a few Zanarkand Wasps jerseys. There are names and numbers on the back, and I find myself skimming the fans' jerseys, searching for a jersey with Tidus' name and number. To perhaps my disappointment, I see none. I say 'perhaps' because if I were to be frank with myself, I'm not sure how I would feel about having a bunch of girls with Tidus' name emblazoned on their backs. At the same time though, I wouldn't mind him having fan support.

Wakka is standing off to the side adjusting a sign when I come up, and he greets me with a smile and quickly moves aside the barricade for me.

"Hey Yuna, can you set up the players' names on the table?" Wakka asks me and he hands me a pile of fold-up name-cards. "They're already ordered. Just put 'em on the table. We've got the more "popular" guys up front."

"Oh, right," I said, taking the tags and noticing that Cetan's name was the first name in the pile. I took it that meant I'd be standing by Cetan when handing out the cards.

"When you're done with that, come find me," Wakka continues, and he walks off to adjust another sign.

"Sure thing," I say slowly, and I start over toward the long table that has been set up for the players. I see my basket full of the hand-out cards, confirming my thoughts that I would be standing next to Cetan.

Without necessarily meaning to, I flipped to the next card and then the next, searching for Tidus' name. Where was Tidus in the pile?

I find his name in the middle. Alright, actually toward the end of the middle. I bite my lip. Why so far away from the front?

I blink a few times and glance around. Everybody is busy with other things, far away from me, and paying no attention to me. I quickly slide Tidus' name out of the pile, and before I knew what I'm doing, I place it on the number one spot on the table, right next to where I'll be standing. Then, I place Cetan's name next to Tidus, and work my way down from there.

It isn't until I have finished that I realize what I have done. Surely Wakka will realize that Tidus is sitting in the number one seat instead of Cetan. I swallow. Even worse, _Baralai _will realize Tidus isn't sitting where he's supposed to be sitting.

I momentarily decide to just grab Tidus' name and put it back in the middle somewhere. But Baralai's words about the "marketed" players being in front came back to my mind. Maybe the fans would realize that Tidus deserved that first spot. Or maybe the fans would assume there was something special about him that they otherwise hadn't noticed. As much as it tore me up inside to think about it, maybe it would be better if girls had Tidus' name on the back of their shirts. And not on the back of their Termite shirts, but the back of their _Abes _shirts.

In all honesty, I don't get the chance to make a decision about what I am going to do. Wakka appears at my side at that moment and says, "Got that done? Come on, help me move chairs."

And so, I move chairs. I put "Tidus'" chair in its place. And I put "Cetan's" chair in its place. And then, I take a deep breath and admire my work. I hear screams suddenly emerge from the many people and from the corner of my eye, I see the players start to file in. Cetan comes out first and gives a wave to the crowd and turns to a teammate who plays right-wing, who is walking alongside of him. They both start out immediately toward the beginning of the lines, laughing and waving, but when they get to the end and look at the name-cards, their faces suddenly look slightly taken aback. To my relief, however, they both shrug and take their spots.

My eyes return to the rest of the players, and I skim around for Tidus. I finally see him, walking out later with two guys who I recognized to be defencemen. He had a bottle of water in his hand and he quickly took a drink from it, and said something, which caused an eruption of laughter from the two guys. They walked along the front of the table, skimming for their name-cards. The defencemen spotted their cards and quickly hit their knuckles against Tidus', and then took their seats. Tidus continued down the line, mostly in the middle section, searching for his name.

I saw his confident expression slowly shift to confusion. He continues walking, looking more and more confused the further he gets down the line. Finally, Cetan looks up and says, "Yo, Tidus, over here!"

Tidus looks rather shocked but throws on a smile (that comes off as a confused smile despite the fact that I can tell Tidus is attempting to hide his confusion) and walks off toward Cetan. Cetan and the right-wing at his right and Tidus exchange a few words, and I know they're a little confused about the seating arrangement. But I figure they must be okay with it, considering that they are wearing smiles and laughing.

"Oh hey, Yuna!" Baralai's voice suddenly enters my ear, which wipes my happy smile right off of my face.

"Oh, hey!" I greet him, while attempting to hide the shake in my voice. Is he going to yell at me for switching Tidus' name-card?

"The cards are on the table. You ready to go?" he says. Apparently he hasn't noticed that Tidus isn't exactly sitting where he's supposed to be sitting.

"Yeah, all ready!" I just say. "Um… where will you be?"

"At the other end of the table," Baralai says, and he gives me a smile. _The other side of the table…_ I smile. Hopefully at the other side of the table, Baralai won't notice that Tidus is not in the middle.

"Alright," I say. "I'm gonna head over there."

"Good," Baralai says. "See you later."

"Yup, see you!" I say, and I hope I don't sound too thrilled and excited. Really, I'm not. It is this exact moment that I realize that I'm going to have to stand right next to Tidus and hand out cards for the next two hours. _Oh well_, I decide. _Too late now._

With that as my final thought, I head over to the table.

At first, Tidus doesn't notice me. He's immersed in a conversation with Cetan about his golf game with Baralai. He doesn't even see me pick up the basket of cards that were sitting in front of him.

I'm actually not sure if Tidus would have seen me if Cetan hadn't noticed me and said, "Oh, hey Yuna!"

I have no idea how to even explain the expression that appears on Tidus' face. His mouth slowly fell agape and his eyes rolled over toward me almost as if in slow motion. He paused then, just like that and stared at me.

He's still staring at me.

Not for long though, for he looks away from me, and he shakes his head. Cetan and any others watching don't seem to think anything of the tension between Tidus and I, which is fine with me.

I feel as though Tidus wants to say something to me, but he says nothing. He simply looks straight ahead and takes a drink from his water. The joking between him and his teammates is over.

It makes sense though, because at that moment, people start to come in, rushing forward with t-shirts, jerseys, blitzballs, and pictures for the guys to sign. I quickly regain myself and hand out the cards, smiling at the fans, although they barely even give me a second glance. They rip the cards from me and rush straight to the players—well, Tidus. And watching Tidus literally takes my breath away.

A small smile is on his lips and he laughs at what the fans tell him and gives his autograph in one swift motion, saying things like "there you go" and "here you are" as he hands the items back to the fans. He looks truly happy to be there, and whether he is or not, the fans are eating it up. At first they seem to notice Cetan and the right-wing at Cetan's right-hand side, but when Tidus greets them, their attention immediately goes to Tidus.

Young girls shoot him star-struck smiles, older men tell him stories of the days his father played, a few—for lack of better word—slutty girls make their way through the line, giggling as they hand him their blitzball for him to sign. Young boys wear their "Zanarkand Youth Blitzball" jerseys and Tidus comments on the jerseys and says things like "hey, maybe someday you can be an Abe!" or "how'd your season go this year?" The kids all smile at him and answer his questions, appearing shocked that Tidus is asking about them when they should be asking about him.

I know I'm as enthralled in Tidus as the fans are as I hand them the cards. I don't look at the fans, and they don't look at me. Tidus is completely the center of attention.

I'm in the clear for about forty-five minutes. It's then that Baralai comes up to me. I feel a tap on my shoulder, and turn around (much to my dismay!) only to see Baralai. And he does not look happy.

"Come with me for a sec," he says, and I feel as though he meant for that statement to be like a question, but it is definitely a statement.

"Sure," I say, acting as though it was a question. I sit the cards down by Tidus, who is in the middle of signing a picture of the team.

Baralai leads me quite a few feet away from the autograph table and crosses his arms.

"Um, I don't believe Tidus is supposed to be sitting there," he says, the expression on his face hard to read.

"He's not?" I say, but I know Baralai can see the smile in my eyes.

"Look Yuna, I'm not sure what's going on between you and Tidus, but… it's got to stop."

"Nothing's going on between us," I say, and I cross my own arms. And hey, _that's_ the truth.

"You are fangirling over him."

"I'm what?"

"You're a total… you're obsessed with him!"

I feel my arms slowly uncross themselves, and Baralai's eyes slowly soften.

"Look, I'm sorry," he says, shaking his head and taking a deep breath. "But… it's true, isn't it?"

"No it's not true!" I say, but as soon as those words escape, I immediately wish I had just spoken the truth. Deciding it's not too late, I finally spill. "W-Well… I like him. I… I think he's a good guy."

Baralai lets a snort out of his nose. "Yeah, real good guy," he says, shaking his head. "Yuna, do you know him?"

"Um, yes and no?" I say, shrugging.

"He… he can't handle this, Yuna," Baralai says. "The kid's got talent. Unbelievable talent. He's even got the family history to back himself up. But he doesn't know how to handle himself. He's not catching eyes. He's getting shoved aside."

"And that's why I moved him!" I say. "He… he deserves to be in the front."

"Says who, you?" Baralai cries. "Yuna, this is a _business_. Cetan is the future goalie of the Abes. The first five guys in the autograph line _not _counting Tidus are the future of the Abes. Right now, Tidus is a nobody. And he's getting old. People aren't expecting great things out of him anymore."

"But why not?" I whine.

"Because he's a smart-ass. Because he's a cocky piece of shit. Because he's—."

"You don't even know him!" I cry.

"Oh please, I think I know him better than you do."

"He's not like that," I simply say, my voice small.

"Oh yeah? I've seen how he treats you, Yuna. You're just too blind to see it and you keep running back to him, expecting him to change. I don't know how he acted in Bevelle, but he's got you fooled, Yuna. Anyone can see it. Anyone but you."

"This isn't about him and me," I say, and for the first time, I actually believe that. So I continue. "This is about him. I truly believe with all of my heart that he deserves to be a star-player. He deserves it, Baralai."

"How so? Zanarkand is about integrity, Yuna. We don't want some snotty brat who got on the team because of who his daddy is."

"Tidus isn't about that," I say. "He's not. He's good with the fans, Baralai. I just observed him for forty-five minutes."

"Whatever, it's not up to you, Yuna. There's a lot of people he has to please, and so far he hasn't been pleasing any of them."

"Then let me talk to them," I say, and I squint at him defiantly.

"Look, Yuna, you're an intern. Okay? Your job is to do stupid little assignments that Wakka and I give you. That's it. No one's going to take you seriously even if you do know what you're talking about."

I decide to completely ignore him. "What do you have against Tidus?" I ask.

"Nothing," Baralai says. "It's just that I can see right through him, unlike you."

I roll my eyes and shake my head. "Just, look, I won't mess anything up again, okay? I'll stick to my duties."

"That's all I'm asking for," Baralai says. "And in the meantime, Tidus hasn't been a complete flop. Which is surprising."

"He won't be a fop," I say surely.

"Sure, whatever," Baralai just says. "You better get back there and hand out more cards."

"Gladly," I say, and I shoot him a sweet smile, and walk quickly off, eager to get back to Tidus' side.


	8. Profess

Hi guys! It's been a while, huh? (...I'm _super _sorry for that, too. D:) This chapter is really short too. I don't quite know how that happened. But, I'm almost to the good stuff! :D This is a super important chapter, and the next chapter's going to be even more exciting! And the chapter after that will be even MORE exciting! So enjoy!

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**Chapter 8: Profess**

Tidus said nothing to me. That was no surprise. I wasn't expecting him to say anything. What did I expect? Him to thank me for moving him to the front chair? He wouldn't do that.

That was day one of camp. Now it was time for day two. Day two was a day of scrimmages and in-sphere activities. Baralai had me doing activities such as filling up the players' water bottles, which is what I am currently doing.

It's actually far more tiring than I ever would have guessed, filling up water bottles. I smile as I fill up the one with Tidus' number etched onto it in black Sharpie, but Baralai's words from the day before etch their way into my mind, blazing as dark and thick as Tidus' written-out number. _Obsessed_. I'm obsessed with Tidus. It was something I hadn't wanted to admit, but was that really how I had gotten?

Last night, I had sat down at the little desk in my hotel room and thought about it. All this time I had been positive that I just had deep feelings for Tidus—I felt a connection. And I was positive there was a reason he was acting the way he acted.

And yes, I had followed him to Zanarkand. Yes I was interning because I knew I would get to see him. But I had to try. I had to try to get his attention. How could I not?

I convinced myself the real reason I was so "obsessed" was because I had to figure out why he was different, why he wasn't the way I _knew _he was.

Pretty soon, his water bottle was overflowing. I let out a slight gasp and pull his water bottle out of the water as fast as I can, and dump out the excess water so that I can put the lid back on.

Feeling somewhat flustered, despite the fact that no one saw me, I quickly continue filling up water bottles, and do my best not to think about Tidus, Baralai, or the fact that perhaps I've gotten a tad too obsessed—alright, I prefer to say "caught up in everything"—but obsessed nonetheless.

I quickly put the bottles back into their container and rush off toward the sphere, where I put the bottles into their place on the bench where the players sit, waiting their turn to go play.

The arena is completely empty, and I quickly make my way down the bleachers toward the players' bench. This arena is smaller than the others, as it acts as the practice arena, not the actual arena.

I crawl onto the bench and start to put the bottles into the shelves designed for them, all labeled by number. I'm on Tidus' number when I hear someone behind me. Assuming it's Baralai, I quickly place Tidus' bottle in its spot and move onto the next bottle before looking up.

To my surprise, it isn't Baralai. It isn't Wakka. It's Tidus, and he had taken a seat on the bench, right across from his bottle. Instead of looking at me, his eyes are focused on the bottle I had just put down, his eyes shining with thought.

I stare at him, my mouth open slightly agape, which I immediately curse myself for doing. There is nothing more unattractive than staring, mouth agape, at someone. So, I close my mouth immediately, and say, "Hey, are you supposed to be here?" Alright, lame, but it's the only thing that could come out of my mouth. It was better than nothing, a.k.a. me standing there staring at him while he stared at his water bottle.

He looks at me, very slowly, his eyes still thoughtful. He shrugs then, and says, "It doesn't matter. They don't keep us locked up or anything. And there's no keep-out sign."

I couldn't help but let out a little laugh. I had no idea if he was being funny, but he gives me a smile anyway as soon as he hears the slight laughter flow from my mouth.

_I love his smile._

"So what's up?" I say, swallowing quickly right before I speak, as if to swallow any fears or uncertainties I have. Quite honestly, I'm feeling ridiculously _calm_, and that alone is freaking me out.

"Um, I came to talk to you about something," Tidus says, and now he's giving me a look as if to say he wants to ask me something, but can't decide how blunt he wants to be. He must have chosen to beat around the bush a while, for he nods toward the water bottle and says, "You didn't put anything in that, did you?"

I roll my eyes and smile, but he can't see me, for I'm turned back toward the shelves, putting the bottles on them. (As quickly as I possibly can, just for the record.) "No, I didn't put anything but water in there," I say, my smile still on my face.

"Well damn, I was hoping you'd put some performance enhancement stuff in there or somethin', and then I could just claim I had no idea how that happened, and then you could confess, and then…" he trails just as I put the last bottle down and turn to face him. He's looking at me.

"Sorry, I didn't do that," I say. Now I really can't tell if he's joking or not. He's looking at me very innocently, though, the thought gone from his eyes, his expression almost peaceful as his blue eyes rest on mine.

"I'm surprised," he finally says after a long pause. "You switched my seat at the autograph sesh yesterday, didn't you?"

I immediately look away from him. _How did he know that?_

As if reading my mind, Tidus, with a slight grin on his face, says, "I heard Wakka and Baralai talking. Wakka was saying I did a good job, and whoever put me there was a genius. Baralai told him it was no genius—just the intern."

Now Tidus was grinning, which put me back at ease.

"Well, um, what does Baralai know?" I just say, my voice raising in pitch as I spoke.

Tidus apparently thinks that's funny. He lets out a soft chuckle, leans close to me, and, with his eyes flashing with amusement, says, "I don't think Baralai's the type to lie."

"Well, you're the one that was good with the fans," I say then, feeling slightly flustered. This is the closest Tidus has been to me since the strange golf outing.

Tidus' smile fades slightly, and he cocks his head to the side, his eyes still on me. Now he's giving me a look as though he's trying to figure me out.

Finally, his face falls, his smile disappears, he leans back, takes a deep breath, and says, "Don't mess with anything else, okay?"

"What?" I say, almost falling over. For some reason I was thinking he was building up to tell me something like—oh, _I don't know_—that he liked me or something.

"Don't mess with anything," he says again, very slowly, as though I really didn't understand.

He stands up then, shoots me a smile, and starts back toward the locker room.

"Tidus, wait!" I call after him.

He stops, and turns around, giving me a blank smile.

"Wh-Why are you like this?" I ask, shaking my head, a disgusted expression on my face.

Tidus takes a few steps toward me and cocks his head to the side. "Like what, exactly, Yuna?"'

"Like _this_," I say. "You're not… not like I remembered you being."

His eyes roll and he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Don't worry about it, Yuna," he says. He raises his eyebrows at me then, turns on his heel, and back toward the locker rooms he goes. This time, I don't stop him.

I stare after him though. I think about what Baralai said the day before. Was I really wasting my time on Tidus? Finally, I let out a soft sigh and started back toward the office to figure out my next task.

-

It had been a good year since I had seen Tidus play blitzball in person. I'd always seen him on the terrible streams from my laptop. But finally, I'm sitting on the bleachers, sandwiched between Baralai and Wakka (literally sandwiched—the place was packed), waiting for the scrimmage to begin.

Tidus is stationed at center, a change, considering that in his college days, he had played mostly left-wing. The ball flew up, and I held my breath, waiting for Tidus' hands to find the ball. Only they don't. The guy across from him catches the ball and pushes his way past Tidus, heading toward the goal.

I feel Baralai look at me. I don't look back.

The scrimmage went on like this. Tidus threw bad passes, Tidus didn't win a single faceoff, and Tidus barely hit a guy. It wasn't anything like the Tidus I had seen play so many times before.

"Hey Yuna," Baralai says to me then, and I feel my face scrunch up, waiting for him to tell me how much Tidus sucks. Instead, he smiles and says, "You need to go fill up the water bottles and put them in the locker room for the guys. Just head on down. The security guy knows who you are."

I give him an look of disbelief (mostly because I couldn't believe he wasn't going to say anything to me about Tidus) and then stand up, quickly making my way down the stairs to the water bottles.

I grab the basket of the bottles and head into the area by the locker room, and start filling them up.

Some of the guys from the team pass me when I was about halfway through filling them, and I notice Tidus was one of them. I caught him from the corner of my eyes. He looks defeated.

I turn back to filling the bottles.

When they're finally full, I head toward the locker room. I have no idea if I'm supposed to just go in, but the door's open, and I notice right inside that there's a place for the water bottles.

I decide to just go in, especially since Baralai said I had to deliver them to the locker room, and I step in, and quickly place the bottles in their spot.

Of course, I had to steal a glance at Tidus.

The guys who had been sent there must have been excused from the sphere early. They all look defeated and tired, but it's Tidus who catches my eye, and not for the usual reasons. He's sitting in the corner, all by himself, with his face in his hands. He dripping from the water, but I notice something that makes my mouth instantly fly open in shock.

He's crying.

My body feels as though it gets sucked down by gravity. My face falls, my shoulders fall. My eyes can't leave Tidus. He's obviously trying to hide his tears, but I know I saw them. I drum my fingers on the doorway, softly, my eyes never leaving Tidus. He doesn't notice me at all.

Finally, I turn around, and head out the door.

I take a few steps away from the locker room before stopping. I lean against the wall and take a deep breath.

I love Tidus. I know I do. Baralai may call it obsession and I suppose others may as well. But I can't stop the way I feel.

I glance at the locker room and walk away.

Tidus needs to be happy. And I'm convinced that he has what it takes. He's just doing it wrong. With that as my final thought, I make my way back to the bleachers, determined to figure out a way to prove to everybody that Tidus was as great as I knew he was.


	9. Express

Alright, this chapter isn't much longer... but at least I'm updating sooner! I want to thank everybody who reviewed, too! Thanks guys! I like this chapter a lot. I guess maybe it's kinda dull, but it all just flowed off my fingers, which is always good. I'm hoping to have the next chapter up in a soon-ish manner too! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 9: Express**

The afternoon scrimmage will be a private scrimmage, where the team's owner and the General Manager and a few scouts will get together and watch the guys play, and make notes of who could move up to the Abes and who will remain with the Termites. Baralai retreated to his office, and Wakka approached me.

"So Baralai tells me you moved Tidus," Wakka says, his arms crossed. "It was a smart move."

"You think so?" I say, blushing at his compliment, although really, it was Tidus who did all the work. We were walking down a hallway in the area around the locker rooms, and my arms were full of towels for the players.

"I like Tidus," Wakka says, not answering my question. "I like 'im a lot. He reminds me of my liddle brudda. Their playing styles are similar. I jus' wish Tidus would get his head oudda his ass and start using it."

I'm not sure what to say to this, but Wakka has a point. Tidus isn't using his head at all, and I would do anything to know the reason behind this. Does he not want to play? I _know _he's capable. Doesn't he know he's capable?

"I know he has the confidence," Wakka continues, almost as if he can read my mind. "I think yesterday's autograph session proves that. He was a hit with the fans. The girls love 'im. Older guys love 'im, 'cause dey know who his father is. An' da kids… they loved him."

I can't help but smile as Wakka speaks. It's a strange feeling, actually. I recalled seeing girls with Cetan's jersey on, and how they flirted with him. I should have been glad that they weren't all over Tidus like that, but instead, I had felt angry and confused. I wanted to slam my cards down on the table, grab their arms, and point to Tidus and tell them _why _he was better than Cetan, or any other blitzer. Sometimes, I even glared at girls who passed, especially if they didn't pay Tidus much attention.

It's weird. It's almost as though I want to share my love for him.

"Do you want to watch the scrimmage?" Wakka says to me, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Huh?" I say, as I attempt to look at him over the pile of towels in my arm.

"Do you want to watch the scrimmage?" Wakka repeats himself. "You can if you want."

"Really?" I say, and I almost drop the towels at my exclamation.

"Ya, sure!" Wakka says. "Here, I'll take the towels from you." He grabs the pile of towels, and nods toward the door to the arena. "Head on in. Just stay up on top of the bleachers and don't get in anyone's way. Players' family and girlfriends and wives and whatever are welcome to watch, so everyone'll just assume you're a player's girlfriend."

I smile, and leave out the fact that I'd be more than happy to pretend to be a player's girlfriend. I give him a wave, and he responds with a large smile.

I open the door as slowly and carefully as I can, as if afraid I'm going to interrupt something. The scrimmage is in full session, and unlike the morning session, the stands are completely empty, save for five guys standing in the middle, leaning over the railing, looking over a clipboard, a few girls around my age way off to the side, and maybe two fathers sitting toward the top.

I shut the door carefully, and head up the stairs to the top of the bleachers, but, not wanting to be in the way of the presumably fathers, I sit a little further down, not far from the five with the notebooks and clipboards.

"That was an excellent save by Cetan," one of the mans, a tall man with black hair that is beginning to gray, says. "You thinking backup for the Abes next year?"

"For sure," says a rounder, bald man.

"That was a great pass by Toma there!" says the man who appears to be the youngest of the bunch. "He's a future star, that kid!"

"Too bad that Tidus kid is such a disappointment," the first man who spoke says, and I feel my face fall. I crane my neck past them, just in time to see Tidus swimming out.

I let out a rather audible sigh (luckily the five don't hear me) and lean back against the bleacher behind me. My eyes go to Tidus, and I feel a smile grow onto my lips, and my heart begins to pound. I loved watching him play. There _was _something special about him. I shake my head despite myself. There _is _something special about him.

Before I know what I'm doing, I'm standing. No one notices me (no one _has _noticed me). With my arms crossed, I cock my head to the side, my eyes following Tidus as he swims back and forth. I blink.

It all makes sense to me why Tidus is special.

Just as I had stood up without meaning to, I start to walk toward the five men without knowing it as well. I move slowly and carefully down the bleachers, until I'm standing right behind them.

"Toma is nothing but impressive," the youngest was saying as I crept up behind them. "We can market him too—he's not bad looking. A little older than we usually take them, but that's not a problem… I hear he's not the greatest with the fans, but we can work on that…"

"Y-You know who is good with the fans?" I say, my voice very soft, but growing louder with every word I say.

The men all appear shocked, and they turn to face me, their faces full of confusion at the sight of me standing there.

I find myself slipping my arms behind my back, and my eyes widen. What am I doing?

"Tidus, um, Tidus is really good with the fans," I say.

The men just stare at me, their faces now completely blank.

"Who are you?" the man with the graying hair finally asks.

"My name's Yuna, Sir," I say, adding in the "sir" part, being that I recognize him to be the team's General Manager.

"Yuna the intern?" he asks.

I nod. I know he's going to tell me I'm not supposed to be in there, so I continue speaking before he can.

"Tidus did very well with the fans at the autograph session yesterday. I even overheard Wakka saying that people have even bought a few t-shirts with his name and number on them. You could definitely market him."

To my surprise, three of the five laugh. (The other two are still trying to figure out who I am and what I'm doing there.)

"A few t-shirts can't give us much!" the round bald man says. "And we were hoping to market him, but his playing abilities aren't matching his fame."

I look past them. Tidus is still out.

"Have you ever noticed how he swims though?" I ask, pointing to Tidus. "He doesn't swim—he glides. He makes it look absolutely effortless. And he's fast. Watch—see how he darts around his opponent like that? He can do it flawlessly. He doesn't even have to move his arms or kick his legs much. He just _glides_.

"And he's never still!" I say, the statement coming out as a full exclamation. "See that guy right there? He's just treading water! If the ball's passed to him, he's going to take at least three seconds to get going—and in blitzball, three seconds can make a huge difference. But Tidus, over there—see how he's nowhere near the play, but he's still moving? Yeah, he's swimming around in circles, and sometimes you wonder to yourself "what's he doing?" but he's moving. If they pass the ball to him, he'll be able to swim off instantly, putting his team three full seconds ahead of the opponents."

Sure enough, the ball was passed to Tidus, and as though he could hear me, he caught the ball and started off quickly and effortlessly.

The five men were all staring at Tidus now, their eyes on him, unblinking.

"He's going to pass it soon," I say, pointing at him and to the guy he'll pass it to. "He doesn't even have to look, because he always keeps passing lanes open." Sure enough, Tidus sent a perfect pass across the sphere to the guy I had pointed to.

"And he has amazing shots," I say, focusing on the men now instead of Tidus. "He just doesn't do them. He's too afraid."

"We can't have someone who's afraid to shoot," the rounder bald man says, although I can tell that his expression has changed much. All of their expressions have changed. Their mouths are agape, their eyes wide and unblinking. Three of them are looking at me, the other two are still watching Tidus.

"He's not afraid," I say. "He's just lacking the confidence—but I know he has it. He has the confidence. You just have to give him the chance.

"He's a leader too," I say, and now I'm just going off of things I've observed, not things I know. "When he was just a sophomore at Bevelle, he _ran _the team like it was his. He had so much respect. I think he's trying to hold back here, afraid to use his father to his advantage, if you know what I mean. He doesn't want people to know him as his father's son. He wants people to know him for who he is. He wants to give his teammates all a fair opportunity."

Now all five men are looking at me.

"Have you ever seen him play short-handed?" I ask then, my eyes brightening at the memories. "He's fantastic. That's where his swimming skills really come in handy. He's fast, and you don't have to worry about a breakaway when he's in the sphere. He'll catch up in no time, and then create his own breakaway opportunities. You guys didn't put him on the penalty kill team, so you guys probably never saw it. But I've seen it many times. He's fantastic at playing defensive offense."

The graying man flips through his clipboard. "It does say here that he was good short-handed."

"Good is an understatement," I cut in. "He is _excellent_."

"And he's…" I trail. I had started to feel myself growing dreamy as I explained all of this, as my memories of all of his college games came back to me, the day we met, the day we hugged… I had started to say that he's sweet. But I had to stop myself.

"He's great," I finish instead, saying the statement with much less excitement as I had spoken all of the rest of the facts about Tidus.

Most of the men's eyes are back on Tidus.

One of the men, a very tall brown-haired man, lets out a soft chuckle, and he says, "It's almost as though he knows we're talking about him. He's playing much more spectacular than beforehand."

"I think the longer he plays, the better he gets—which, I suppose, could be looked at as a flaw. But I think the reason for this is because the more he plays—the longer he's in the pool—the more he realizes how much he loves playing, how much he loves blitzball. And the passion comes to him, and he just… goes. And look—look at him! He doesn't have to think. His body just goes."

Then men all exchange glances, and then look back at Tidus. I notice one of the men is jotting down something furiously in his notes. I just hope he's writing about Tidus, and not writing me up or anything.

I look past them and follow their gaze to Tidus. He has swam back to the bench so that the next crew could come out, and he's squirting water into his mouth, and saying something to the teammate at his side. Then, he looks back behind him, and his eyes meet mine. I'm not sure how to interpret the look he gives me when he sees the five suit-clad men with me at their side.

"Well, um, I should probably go," I say then. "I-I just… give him a chance. I really think there's something special about him. And I don't think I'm the only one that feels that way. I mean, Bevelle was smitten with him. And he's popular with his teammates, and really, he was wonderful to the fans yesterday."

The men simply look at Tidus as he sits in the bench, and the two men furthest from me say something to each other in hushed voices. I can't help but feel that they sound excited. I hope I'm not just being hopeful.

The remaining three men just stare at me, and then back at Tidus.

"Do you know him?" one of the men finally asks me.

"Oh, just barely," I say, shrugging. "Enough to know that deep down, when you get to his talent, he's the full package. He's the best one in this building."

"He does have a unique way of playing!" the youngest of the bunch says, and now the men aren't talking to me at all. They're talking among themselves.

I take a step backwards away from them, as they talk between themselves, a few with smiles on their faces, the graying man tapping his chin thoughtfully and looking at Tidus. As I start to walk away, I can't seem to help but think I overhear the two at the end discussing what line Tidus would be on—and I'm assuming he means the lines for the Abes.

I can't smile though. I start toward the door, my eyes on the floor of the bleachers beneath me.

Finally, I'm almost the door, and I glance up, only to see Baralai standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, and a very large frown on his mouth.

My gut tells me instantly that I'm in trouble.


	10. Reassess

I apologize immensely for the late update! Especially since I've had this chapter written for a long time now... sorry! In my defense, I was on vacation and waaaay too lazy to plug my grandpa's internet into my laptop. It's so hard going from wireless to no wireless! But, I did write this chapter, and I rather like it. The sad news is that I think there's only going to be two more chapters... so a short story. Oh well, though, right? I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 10: Reassess

Baralai takes a seat at his desk and nods to me to take my seat and drag it up to him. I feel as though I'm back in high school, sitting across from the principal as the principal beams at how proud he is of my perfect 4.0 GPA. Only Baralai isn't the principal and he's not happy with me.

I pull my chair up to his desk and sit down, wondering what he's going to say to me. The suspense doesn't hold long, for he immediately says, "What were you talking to those guys about?"

I don't bother holding it back. "Tidus," I say. "I was pointing out his good qualities."

"He has good qualities?" Baralai said with a harsh laugh. I feel myself frown. I feel myself grow angry and I speak before even think. "Maybe I know more about blitzball than you, Baralai. Those guys were impressed—."

Baralai's laughter cuts me off. "Oh really. You know more about blitzball than I do?"

I simply nod. My arms are crossed, and my frown feels as though it's etched into my face.

Baralai shakes his head, a very small smile grows onto his lips. "So you really have no idea, do you? Yuna… I _played_ blitzball."

I feel my eyes widen, and I am sure my jaw dropped. I don't mean to act so surprised, but I can't help myself. I see Baralai laugh. His dark eyes quickly look away from mine.

"Surprising, huh?" he says, shaking his head, a smile still on his lips.

"A-A little," I say, attempting to cover my surprise in fear that I am being rude to him. "It's just that you're so… so professional."

"Right," Baralai says, still shaking his head. "I guess it's because I'm not like Tidus, huh?"

My eyes immediately dart to his, and I feel a pain begin to grow in my stomach as my heart begins to pound. I blink a few times in an attempt to clear the emotions that I must have just let flash through my eyes, and I quickly say, "Tidus… what do you mean by that?"

Baralai's eyes roll, and a smile pries at his lips once again. "Cocky, arrogant, full of myself… I'm none of those things. So you must not have thought I could be a blitzball player."

I feel the nerves in my stomach suddenly turn into anger. "Tidus isn't like that!" I say quickly, my eyebrows furrowing outward to show my anger. "He isn't cocky. He isn't arrogant."

Baralai laughs again, and the result is a smile of disbelief.

"Yuna," he says, with that same disbelieving smile, "why can't you see it? Tidus doesn't care about you."

The anger begins to boil.

"But he does," I say surely. Honestly though, I have nothing else to say. I feel my guard dropping, and I look over to my right at nothing in particular. I can _feel _something with Tidus. My mind flashed to the time at the golf course. Tidus was so close to me—and he did it on purpose. But not to tease me… at that time, there was no teasing involved. I want to tell Baralai that Tidus and I have a bond. But that would be a lie; Tidus and I _don't _have a bond. And that's the reason the anger is so prominent in my stomach. I let out a sigh and hope Baralai doesn't notice. It's not _anger _I feel. It's frustration.

As soon as that realization hits me, I feel myself almost start to tear up. Finally I feel it. The frustration of everything is finally crashing down. I had expected Tidus to be surprised to see me and perhaps a little taken aback, but he wasn't. Well, initially he was, but now he was just… being a jerk. I feel my teeth grind. I wanted to stick up for Tidus, I _was_ sticking up for Tidus. But why? Did Baralai have a point?

_ N_o_, _my head screamed, _he does _not _have a point_. I _knew_ Tidus. Deep in my heart, I knew Tidus. And Tidus was not the Tidus I had been seeing. Tidus was the Tidus I had seen in the winter at the coffee shop. _That _was Tidus. And I just had to find a way to get back to _that _Tidus.

I swallow and shake my head to clear my thoughts. "What happened?" I finally manage. "Why don't you play anymore?"

Baralai's expression softens, and he shrugs. "Injury," he says, his voice soft. "You probably haven't noticed this." He rolls up his sleeve then, and I feel my eyes widen once again. His hand is deformed.

I don't know what to say. What do you say when someone shows you something? It's the same when someone is ill. What can you say? "I'm sorry?" Will that suffice? I decide to try it.

"I'm sorry," I say softly, and I feel my tongue quickly wet my lips. I want to ask what happened. I want to know why his hand looks the way it does, red and purple, his fingers nothing but stubs.

He shrugs again, and he says, "Two years ago, we were playing in the finals for the Triumph cup. We were playing against the toughest team in the league, no doubt. Players who are now Spira Cup champs. Big guys. Strong guys. One of 'em had a shot that was a good hundred miles per hour. We were desperate—down just one goal. The clock was ticking down. That player kicked his hardest shot ever marked—it would have been a record, if I hadn't stopped it with my hand."

I feel myself cringe. "Why did you do that?" I ask. "Surely it was going too fast."

Baralai shrugs again. "I was desperate," he said. "Back then, winning was everything to me. Little did I know that it could cost me my career.

"Luckily," Baralai continues, "they let me keep my job… just as a office clerk now. Instead of being out there, playing, I'm here, helping with the scouting, with office work, and of course, helping with the interns."

He gives me a smile then, a small, almost sweet smile.

Silence falls over us then, and I look up at him and say, "So… am I off the hook?"

He simply rolls his eyes and shakes his head, and his voice begins to rise. "You think it's about being in trouble, don't you? That I'm angry at you for talking to those men? No, I could care less, Yuna. I could care less that you switched Tidus' seat. I really don't care. But it hurts me to see someone as smart and…" he trails then, and instantly looks away from me. Finally, he clears his throat and says, "Why would you want to be with a guy like Tidus anyway?"

"Versus who?" I say, and I cross my arms. Just _what _is Baralai trying to say?

"Versus someone more responsible, more respectable, more confident."

Confident. For some reason, that word hits me hard, and it doesn't help that Baralai is now looking at me, an almost determined look in his eyes.

I know it right then. Baralai _likes _me.

I blink a few times in the embarrassment. I feel as though he has just asked me out, even though he hasn't exactly made any such advancements, and my heart is suddenly pounding in my head.

"I-I should go," I say then, and I stand up quickly, almost knocking over the chair. I'm not sure if Baralai knows that I now understand how he feels, but he just gives me what appears to be an angry shrug and turns to his computer.

"You're making a mistake," he says, his voice coming out very strong just as I put my fingers over the doorknob. I pause to show that I have listened to his statement, but then quickly open the door, and then quickly but softly, shut the door behind me.

As soon as I'm in the hallway and now out of the office that had suddenly seemed to grow hot, I let out a huge sigh. It was a sigh of relief, but I'm not entirely sure what I was relieved at. Especially since at that moment, I glanced up to see none other than Tidus walking toward me, his eyes appearing angry, but in a very curious way.

"Just the person I was looking for," he says, his voice coming out louder than I had expected it to, causing me to jump slightly.

"Oh hey," I say, as casually as I can manage, but there's no hiding the slight shake.

He stops about a foot away from me and crosses his arms, and licks his lips. His eyes are blazing, but up-close, I'm not certain if it's with anger or something else.

He seems to be having difficulty with speaking, but he finally takes a deep breath and says, almost impatiently, "So I got promoted. They want me to swim tomorrow with the "elite" group."

It takes longer than it should for his words to soak in, possibly because despite the fact that what he speaks is excellent news, he does not sound happy.

"Well, that's great, isn't it?" I question.

"Fantastic," Tidus says, and his tone would suggest that he is being sarcastic, but I know he's not. It really is fantastic. There's just something bothering him, and I brace myself and wait for it.

And it comes.

"You talked to them, didn't you? Why the hell couldn't you just leave it alone? I would have showed them what I could do without your help! Now they're all going on and on that I should thank the intern, and the guys are all giving me shit about how I must have slept with you and they're all patting me on the back and congratulating me for getting in your damn pants and I didn't even do that and I did it on my own but no one cares 'cause all they care about is the fact that the damn intern was the one who got me where I am and Toma is pissed at me and saying a bunch of nasty things about how he's gonna…" Tidus finally stops, probably to take a breath, but doesn't finish his breathless complaint. "The point is, I don't need your help. So stay outta my business."

I can't help but feel completely taken aback. My mind is completely blank, and I'm staring at Tidus with my mouth completely agape. I feel a film of tears start to cover my eyes, but there's _no way _I'm about to cry in front of Tidus.

So I swallow, and take a deep breath.

"Well Tidus," I say, my voice only cracking slightly, "you don't have to worry about me being in your business anymore. I'm quitting."

It's Tidus' turn to look shocked.

"What?" he says, the anger disappearing slightly.

"Yeah, I'm quitting," I say again. "I'll pack up my stuff and be out of here tomorrow. Isn't that excellent news?"

Tidus blinks a few times, and then lets out a laugh. He seems to not believe me.

"I was just trying to help," I say. "I just… I felt like they weren't really watching you"—my voice is cracking now and I don't bother to stop it—"they were only worried about Cetan and that Toma guy and a few others but they weren't watching you at all. I just knew that if you were just given the chance, you could be excellent. I was just trying to help."

"Well, don't," Tidus says. "I've told you that all summer."

I shrug, and I say, "I'm done. I'm going to go tell Baralai I'm quitting right now."

"W-Well I didn't mean you had to quit," Tidus says, but I feel disgusted by his sudden change of heart.

"It's alright, Tidus. I only did this to be around you. And apparently you don't care, so I'm done. I'll go back to Bevelle and stop worrying about how you're doing."

"Well… don't care!" he says, his anger suddenly returning, and he starts off. He looks back at me then, as though he's going to say something, his face suddenly much more relaxed. His eyes meet mine, but I force myself to look away.

Without waiting for him to finally say anything, I put my hand on the doorknob, and without looking back at him, I turn the handle, not even bothering to knock.

It takes all of my effort to keep a tear from slipping out as I step back into Baralai's office, especially as I shut the door, and catch a last glance of Tidus as I pull the door to a soft close.

"So you're quitting?" Baralai says, giving me a look as if a part of him is surprised and a part of him isn't, and I'm guessing he must have overheard the conversation.

"Yep," I say and with that, I collapse into the chair I had been sitting in not long before, and finally break down. Tears slide down my cheeks quickly, and I do the best to wipe them off with my hand as Baralai hands me a tissue. "I'm quitting."


	11. More or Less

Yay new chapter! Oh man, sorry it took so long to update! I have my tennis elbow back full-strength, which is so weird, considering I haven't played tennis in well over a month. Anyway, it doesn't hurt now, so I took advantage of this and finished up this chapter! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 11: More or Less**

"Don't quit because of some jerk," Baralai says, shaking his head. "Honestly Yuna, you have a talent; you'd even make a good scout. And we don't usually have female scouts, so that would be a huge deal and…" Baralai trails when he realizes that I'm not listening. I'm not even looking at him. I'm just looking down at the tissue I'm holding in my lap, my eyes now dry.

"No, I should just go," I say. "Thanks for everything."

"Yuna, don't do this," Baralai says, standing up as I do. His eyes are on mine and are shining with intensity, intensity I usually only see in Tidus' eyes, when Tidus has the ball and is swimming toward the net. Baralai's good hand is outstretched toward me, almost as if he's going to grab my arm, but knows he shouldn't.

"Baralai," I say, keeping my voice firm, "I have to. Really, thanks for everything. But I just… can't, Baralai." I don't know if he understands, but I hope he does. I can't stay, and most importantly, I _can't_ be with _him_.

He simply looks at me, shakes his head, and runs his hand through his hair. He lets out air and shrugs his shoulders. "You're making a mistake," is all he says.

"I know in my heart what's right for me," I just say, separating every word. "Goodbye."

I put my hand on the doorknob again and twist it. I pause for a second before opening the door, wondering if I'm really doing the right thing. I mean, Baralai's an okay guy but… I stop. There's nothing there.

Finally, I push open the door and close it softly, and then feel myself jump slightly as I notice Tidus sitting on the bench to the right outside of Baralai's office, his eyes on me, his mouth slightly agape. He's leaning forward with his elbows resting gently on his knees, his hands clasped.

"Yuna," he says after a few silent seconds pass. "Yuna, look, I—."

I simply turn around and start walking in the opposite direction. I'm not in the mood, not even for Tidus. I'm still clenching the tissue in my hand as I walk, and I think I hear Tidus stand up, but I don't bother to look back.

That is, until I feel a hand on my arm.

I turn around quickly, and almost run right into Tidus, for he must have been literally running after me. His mouth is still agape (and he looks kind of dorky, but cute at the same time) and his eyes are wide, almost as if he doesn't believe what he's doing.

"Yuna, wait," he says to me, and I feel his grasp on my arm lighten as he drops my arm.

"What?" I just ask him, my tone full of impatience. In all honesty, I'm about to cry, and I do not want to do so in front of Tidus.

"Can we just… talk?" he says, his mouth shutting.

"About what, Tidus?" I ask, my tone still abrupt.

"About, you know, things," Tidus says. So far, every sentence that has come out of his mouth sounds like a question, almost as if he doesn't really know what to say, or doesn't know why he's saying what he's saying.

I don't answer, and Tidus must have took my silence to be contemplation, for he continues. "We could just hit up that café down the road and talk. I'll even, um, pay." Now it's like he's trying to bribe me.

And for some reason, that's when I start to cry. I simply break down, and it's actually rather painful. I double over, as though I had just been punched, tears flying out of my eyes. I attempt to dab at my eyes with the tissue that Baralai had handed me, but the pain in my stomach is too great. It literally feels as though something inside of me exploded.

Tidus stands there, looking completely dumbfounded. His mouth is agape again, and if the pain wasn't so strong, I might have laughed. I'm angry at him now. I think of the word 'doofus' instead of the word 'cute'.

I finally get myself together, and I start heaving, as though I can't breathe, but at least the tears are gone.

"Are you… okay?" Tidus asks me slowly, hesitantly. "Do you need another Kleenix?"

"No, I'm fine," I say, every word coming out painfully. "It's just that my stomach hurts…"

"Oh…" Tidus says, dragging out the 'o' for what seems like a full minute. I figure it's because he's trying to act as though he understands when really, he has no clue.

See, I keep everything in my stomach. Everything. And now, it must all be surfacing: my frustration toward Tidus, my feelings toward Tidus (which, come on, are the most complicated feelings in the entire universe), everything with Baralai, and everything about this internship/summer. It's painful.

Tidus looks truly concerned though. I can see it in his eyes. Or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself that he cares. I don't know.

"Um, do you need water or something?" he asks. Now he kind of looks disgusted. I realize that maybe he thinks I'm going to throw up.

"No, I'm fine," I say, and I force myself to straighten out. "I'm sorry, I just…" I pause and look up at him and give him a wry smile. "Um, had a breakdown."

To my surprise, Tidus laughs. He _laughs_. "Oh man," he says, "_that_ was a breakdown? You didn't even slam anything or throw anything…" he trails, and then looks sheepish. "Well, that's what _I _do when I have a breakdown. I freak, you know. The guys call me a spazz. 'Prolly not a good thing to be known as…" Now he's rubbing the back of his neck. I think my heart just melt. Any anger I felt before is now gone.

"Coffee…" I say, very softly. "Did you say something about a café?"

"Y-Yeah," Tidus says, his eyes brightening.

"I'll go with you," I say, and I attempt to give him a wry smile. Now he's looking at me like I might be crazy, but he slowly nods, and starts walking toward the exit. I follow, feeling…well, strange. I feel nothing, actually. No excitement, no dread, no nothing. I'm not nervous, but I'm not calm, either. I almost feel numb.

He opens the door to the exit, and tosses a look back at me, and gives the door an extra shove so that he technically opens it for me, but can keep walking at the same time. I follow at what I consider to be a safe distance—not too far, but not too close, my eyes on him as he walks.

After about twenty steps, my heart finally begins to pound. I have no idea what's about to happen, and for the time being, I've assumed that I was going to see the _real _Tidus. The Tidus I had been waiting for all summer. But what if I was wrong? I just continued forward, knowing I'd have to find out the hard way.

-

Tidus orders a coffee, supposedly made from the finest of Kilika coffee beans. He hasn't said anything to me, except for "What do you want?" I tell him I can get my own, but he simply says, "Make that two coffees." I feel a little shocked by his decision to just buy me a coffee, but a part of me kind of likes that about him. He's not about to put up with any crap I might give him.

Tidus dumps a ton of sugar into his coffee. I'm talking like, he has more sugar than coffee. And then, just when I thought he couldn't possibly get anything else into the coffee mug, he then turns to the cream and dumps the cream into his coffee.

He takes a stir rod and half-heartedly stirs it, his blue eyes looking dim and full of thought as he slowly twirls the rod around his coffee, mixing up what must be gallons of sugar and cream. I pour a little bit of sugar into my coffee, followed by a little bit of cream, and then follow his lead by stirring it all together.

Finally, he grabs his mug and starts toward a table, eying each table as though he's scrutinizing them for the best one.

He finally chooses the last table in the very back and pulls out his seat to sit down, and gives me a strange look as I sit down. He immediately looks away and sits down as well, and I don't bother to try to guess what that look was for. Alright, so I had a guess, and quite frankly, it made my heart melt a little. I think he was wondering if he should pull my chair out for me.

"So," Tidus says softly, his eyes now on mine, "I hope you like coffee."

"It's fine," I say, giving him another wry smile.

He's looking at me still, his eyes seeming to go right through me, as he still twirls around the stick absent-mindedly in his coffee. I stare back at him, unsure of what to do. It's impossible to read him though, and quite frankly, his stare is quite blank, almost as though he actually _isn't _thinking about _anything_.

Silence has fallen on us now, and I have no idea if Tidus is planning on saying anything else or not. He just stares at me.

Finally, he takes out the stir rod and lays it on the table and then takes a drink. He sets the mug down, and looks back at me, and this time, I sense some thought in his head.

"Did you do this internship just because of me?"

The bluntness of the question seriously almost knocks me out of my chair. _Is he _really _asking me this?_ my mind screams. Of course, almost simultaneously with my mind, I respond to Tidus's question: "No."

Tidus doesn't seem shocked. He just lifts his mug and takes another sip of his coffee.

"So you like blitzball then?" he asks.

"Y-Yes, of course," I say. _Wow, I just lied to Tidus_, my mind is now saying. Actually, maybe I'm imagining it, but I thought I saw disappointment flicker in Tidus' eyes when I told him my answer. But I simply keep my ground. I can't let him think I'm a creep, after all!

Tidus is now drumming his fingers on the table, and he looks over his shoulder for reasons unknown to me. Then, he leans forward and says, "Why so much interest in _me_?"

"B-Because," I say, and I find myself giving him a disgusted look. I'm not sure if the look is because I'm annoyed at his bluntness or because he doesn't know the _true_ answer. I blink, and then look at him. _Alright_, I decide, _now it's _my _turn to ask the questions_.

"So how come you've been a total jerk this whole summer?" I asked, and if I had written that out to him, I definitely would have bolded, underlined, _and _italicized the word "jerk."

Tidus gives me a very serious look, and I might have been afraid of his reaction, but not much was about to scare me now. (Especially not after just facing Tidus asking me all the questions I had hoped he'd never ask me.)

"I haven't been a jerk," Tidus says with a very straight face. I open my mouth to argue with him, but catch a smile prying on his lips, as though I've guessed his game or something.

"Care to explain why Baralai hates you so much?" I ask, after realizing that Tidus is just going to sit there smiling as though he's proud of himself without any explanation.

To this, Tidus laughs. "Oh, Baralai? He's got something up his ass. Like, maybe there's a blitzball up there or something, who knows."

Tidus looks at me with raised eyebrows, as though he's proud of himself for coming up with that. I'm not sure if it's his comment or the pride in his eyes, but I laugh. He smiles at my laughter, and lifts his mug to take another drink.

"It seems like there's something between just you and him," I say, a smile still on my lips, because, who knows, maybe I think it's funny that Tidus and Baralai don't get along. "After all, Cetan seems to like him."

"Cetan gets along with everybody and anybody," Tidus explains, shaking his head. "Which is why I don't understand why he has such a slut for a girlfriend."

"What?" I find myself saying, almost into my coffee, for I had lifted it to my mouth. I remember Cetan's girlfriend pretty well.

"Oh yeah, like half the team has slept with her."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

I feel a sly smile grow on my lips and I say (while we're asking blunt questions), "Have you slept with her?"

Tidus gives me a strange look. He doesn't appear shocked or angered or taken-aback. His eyelids are narrowed, but not in an angry way. He leans back, and I see him tuck the corner of his lip beneath his teeth.

"I'm not one for blondes," he finally answers. I'm not really sure if that is a yes or no, but I take it as a possible no. "And what about you and Baralai."

I almost choke on my coffee. "Baralai and I?" I say. "Um, absolutely nothing is going on between Baralai and I."

"He seemed pretty reluctant to have you quit," Tidus mentions. I shoot him a suspicious glance. Was he listening in on our conversation?

"Yeah, I guess he did," I answer with a shrug. "But…" I pause. I look up at Tidus then, and I say, "Why are you talking to me right now?"

"What?" Tidus says, with a truly clueless smile on his face. "Why wouldn't I?" Now I don't know if he's just being sarcastic or not.

"You've kind of avoided me all summer and been kind of… mean to me," I finally choke out the words.

Tidus' blue eyes roll, and he says, "Sorry, I was just shocked to see you."

Well, an apology is one thing, but he looks down at his coffee, and he appears almost angry.

"I didn't want to be a jerk," he continues, his tone almost childish. "I just thought… you know, I just thought…" He keeps trailing and I realize he probably doesn't even know what to say. "I just thought I had to be that way," he finally says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well, you know," he says, shrugging as he talks, "blitzball players have to be sure of themselves and confident and you know, stuff like that. And I…" He trails again and shakes his head.

I narrow my eyes at him, and I feel a smile slowly creeping onto my lips. "And you're not like that," I finally finish for him.

Tidus looks up at me, and gives me a look as though he's bored with me or something. "I wasn't going to say—."

"You're lacking the confidence. So you act like a jerk to make up for it," I simply say.

"That's not—."

"Then what is it?" I ask.

"Well, it's not that. I don't act like a jerk to _everyone_."

"So just to me then?" I say, and for some reason, I feel myself start to grow angry. "What, do you like me or something so then you decide to act like a jerk because while you may have the confidence out in the sphere you actually don't have _any _confidence with girls?"

Tidus looks at me. He doesn't appear happy. He opens his mouth as though he's going to say something, but closes it. Then, he picks up his stirring rod, sticks it back into his almost-empty coffee, and begins to stir again.

"Maybe," he says.

He doesn't look at me, and it doesn't matter if he did, for I can't breathe, and it's almost as though my vision is blurring.

Did Tidus just say _"maybe"_?


	12. Us

Hello everybody who may or may not still be interested in this story! Well... honestly, I don't know what I'm doing with it... (if you couldn't figure that out considering this is the first time I've updated in literally forever..) I do have a few ideas for it that I didn't previously have, but I'm not really sure how to get to those parts. Plus, I'm SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER busy these days (BECAUSE I actually have an internship of my own! Woo!) but... you know, we'll see. I was randomly thinking of this story and figured I'd at least finish this chapter... I've literally been working on it since August! Ahh! Anyway, please enjoy!

**Chapter 12: Us**

It's as though I've lost my ability to be blunt with Tidus, and it's as though he has even lost his ability—or rather, desire—to talk to me. He just pokes the stirring rod around in his now empty mug, his eyes focused intently on the empty mug as though it's the only thing to look at.

It's a tad awkward, but I'm not sure what to do, so I copy Tidus and play with my coffee as well.

"Anyway though," Tidus finally says after at least five minutes of silence, "don't quit because of me."

He sounds sad, and when I look up at him, he's still focused on his coffee mug.

"Baralai probably hates me," I just say with a shrug. "I think…he's got a 'thing' for me."

Tidus gives me a look of disbelief, and then he laughs. "Figures," he says.

"Um, what do you mean by that?" I ask.

"Baralai likes to play hero. He sees me treat you bad, thinks he'll save you. He's done it since day one."

"Day one of what?" I ask.

Tidus' blue eyes roll, and he says, "Day one since we were _born_."

I almost choke on my own saliva. "Since the day you two were born?"

"Well, technically since the day I was born. He's a year older."

"Okay…"

"His dad played blitz," Tidus says, raising his eyebrows at me. "For the Abes. He was my old man's teammate. My old man was like a notorious jerk. Baralai's old man was like a notorious saint. They didn't get along." Tidus laughs, shakes his head, and says, "Sound familiar?"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"My dad, jerk. Baralai's dad, saint. Me, jerk. Baralai, saint. Got it? Stupid 'Lai couldn't get rid of the idea. So growing up, he just assumed I was like my old man, he was like his old man. So he always played the part and expected me to play my part."

"So he's always just assumed you were a jerk…"

"Yeah, him and all of Zanarkand," Tidus says, and I notice he sounds extremely bitter. "Everyone expects me to be an all-time jerk, ya know. Seriously, ask anyone. They all _loved _my old man's attitude. They thought it was awesome that he was the way he was. So sometimes, I don't know, I kind of fall into the trap, you know? I act like a jerk—'cause that's how people expect me to act.

"Which is why," Tidus is talking fast now, "I really liked playing college blitz in Bevelle so much. No one affiliated me with my old man, I could be who I wanted to be."

"But the jerk thing's not working," I say, nodding, for it all makes sense to me. Tidus gives me a shocked took, but I simply continue. "It's not working because that's not who you are. So you're giving the people—coaches, scouts, everybody!—one thing, and then acting differently. Tidus, just be yourself! That's why you were so popular in Bevelle!" I'm looking at him now, almost excitedly.

To my surprise though, Tidus just rolls his eyes.

"It's not that easy, Yuna," he says. "You don't understand. People expect me to act that way. Just ask Baralai. He'll tell you all about it."

"But that's stupid," I say, "and it's not working." I lean back and cross my arms, and give him a challenging look.

"My agent says I should do it. My coach says I should do it. The guys know me for it."

"You're living a lie," I say, and it's my turn to roll my eyes. "What about the other day? At the autograph session? I watched you and you were fantastic. And you weren't a jerk. You won over so many fans that day Tidus. Why can't you see that? They want _that_ Tidus."

"You want that Tidus." Tidus says those words so fast that they actually hit me almost as if they're a physical thing. It's almost as though he reached over and hit me.

"I'm not the only one," I say, my voice barely audible. "Ask around." For some reason, my voice chokes slightly when I say that. I'm doing my best to keep it all together, but I'm starting to worry that I'm going to lose it.

Tidus just stares at me. Hard. I have no idea what he's thinking, and I decide there's no way I _want_ to know what he's thinking.

"Well, whatever, it's what they want here." Now he appears sad.

"I think you're wrong," I say with a shrug. "What they want is someone who plays well. Someone who is confident and performs well. They want goals, Tidus. They want aggressiveness. They want smooth passes. They want breakaways. They want…" I trail. I realize Tidus is listening very intently to me, his eyes bright with interest.

"You're right," he says. "I mean, everyone just wants to win, right?"

"Right," I say. "And everybody wants the son of a legendary player to play well. They don't care if you've got an attitude problem or anything like that! In fact, I'm convinced they'll like you more."

For some reason, Tidus now seems bored with what I have to say. He rests his elbow on the table and leans his head in his hand, a small pout now on his lips.

"Well, tomorrow's the advanced stuff. I guess I'll just play my best and go from there."

"That's the spirit," I say with a small smile on my lips. "It's all up to you."

"Yeah…" Tidus says softly.

"Well, I'll be out of your hair," I say with a slight shrug. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you."

Tidus doesn't look at me at first. He looks at the table instead. Then, slowly, he looks up at me.

"You should date Baralai," he says. His words come out so quickly, that at first I don't understand him.

"Wh-What?" I say after a slight stumble. "Baralai?"

"Yeah, Baralai," Tidus says, shrugging. "I mean, he likes you, right?"

"But I don't like him," I say it before I can even comprehend what I'm saying. Immediately I wish I could take it back, especially considering that Tidus shoots me a strange annoyed look as though he _knows exactly _what I mean by that.

"Maybe you could learn to like him?"

I honestly feel like crying. I feel as though Tidus has just punched me in the gut. Is this his way of telling me he's not interested in me?

"Well, Baralai's way honorable and…" Tidus begins, but then he stops, and looks away from me and shakes his head with a huge smile on his face. "Oh, who the hell am I kidding? Baralai's the biggest sour-ass I've ever met in my whole life. He's all "hey, feel sorry for me 'cause I'm handicapped and can't blitz anymore!" He wasn't even good to begin with. I mean, _really_, no. Just, no. He sucked, actually. I don't even know why the Abes drafted him in the first place. 'Prolly just 'cause who his old man was. Ha, they probably thought it'd be awesome to have me and 'Lai on the same team, jus' like our old mans. They notoriously hated each other. They 'prolly thought it'd be fun to have that happen again." Tidus was now rambling, and I just sit there, listening to him as he rants about Baralai. "But hell, Baralai's the good guy, I'm the bad guy and hey, it probably should have been _my _hand to get all disfigured and not his, but it's not _my fault _I was a late bloomer and wasn't in the minors yet but still in college."

"So it's your fault?"

"No, but Baralai and I played the same position. So if I hadn't played two years of college blitz, I would have probably been in Baralai's position or something. I don't know, he acts that way. That dude hates my guts." Tidus stretches. "And he'd hate me even more if I took his woman."

"Excuse me?" I say, and now I'm honestly confused. Tidus is talking circles, literally, but whenever the circle gets back to me, I feel my heart leap, even if what Tidus said about me was a bad thing.

"He'll think I wanna date you just 'cause I know he likes you."

Whoa, let's all take a few steps back, shall we? Tidus just said the words "I," "wanna," and "date you"—you as in me, people!—in one sentence. Yeah, now I'm sitting there, staring at him like an idiot.

"Not that I want to date you…" now Tidus is backing the circle the other way. "Well, I do want to, well…" Okay, now the circle is going back and forth, and my heart is speeding with every word that comes out of his mouth.

And then I realize how stupid I'm being. Yes, me. Not Tidus. Tidus isn't interested in me. Isn't he making it clear? He's telling me—flat out telling me—that he'd date me just to be mean to Baralai. He'd date me only because Baralai likes me. Not because Tidus likes me. It'd be all fake.

Now Tidus is chewing on his coffee stirring rod, his back against the chair, his eyes on me. Thoughtful. He's looking at me as though I'm a blitzball, and he's trying to figure out the right move to make with me.

I shift uncomfortably.

Tidus looks past my shoulder as if he's looking at something, and then he stands up, so suddenly that I jump.

"Well, I gotta go," he announces, his eyes still looking past me. I'm tempted to glance over my shoulder as well to see what it is he's looking at, but I don't. I just stare at him.

"W-Wait," I finally manage, after the initial shock of him suddenly jumping up has passed. "You can't just leave!"

"Why not?" Tidus asks. He's already setting his mug on top of the garbage so it can be picked up.

"Because… Because I'm even more confused than I was before I came here with you!" I cry. I sound whiny, but I no longer care. My head is swarming, and quite honestly, I have a headache. And, the caffeine from the coffee is starting to hit. It's as if I can honestly feel it pumping through my blood, affecting my heart and my brain. Or, I don't know, maybe it's the fact that I think I caught a little whiff of Tidus' cologne (or Axe deodorant; that's what it smells suspiciously like) as he stood up. Either way, I'm shaking. I only hope he doesn't notice.

"You're confused?" Tidus asks, and his eyebrows raise, almost as if he's concerned. But I can see in his eyes that he's not. Especially because then, I see a smile begin to pry at the corners of his lips. Pretty soon, he's full-out smirking.

That smirk just makes me head hurt worse.

Before I can even think of anything to say, Tidus leans toward me and puts his hand on my shoulder. Yevon, I hope I'm imagining things, but my shoulder instantly goes numb from his touch. For all I know, he's not even touching my shoulder. But I don't look. I just look into his crystal eyes as he looks into mine, that smirk still on his lips.

"Stop trying to figure me out, Yuna," is all he says. With that, he backs off, sending his scent floating once more toward me. "Now, go back to Baralai and tell him you're not quitting."

And, with that, he walks off, looking almost proud of himself. I simply watch him as he leaves, knowing in my heart that I'm about to go back to Baralai.

Because, even though he blatantly told me not to, to me, Tidus telling me to go back to Baralai is nothing more than an invitation to figure out every single thing there is to figure out about Tidus.

And that's exactly what I'm going to do.


	13. Finesse

Well, I suppose, first of all, hello! I'm still living, breathing-all that good stuff. I just haven't written a word of any fanfic since I last updated with Chapter 12 of this story. But, today I was bored, and I've gotten a few reviews asking me when/if I'm ever going to update, so I thought I would take a look at what I had. And then I started writing, and thought, well, I might as well share what I have. This chapter is short, I'm afraid, but I figure, hey, better than nothing, right?

Anyway, if you're looking for an explanation, the truth is that I have no idea how this story is going to end. I can't decide at all. But, maybe I just won't worry about it until the end? Usually an ending just HITS ME. So hopefully it'll hit me soon?

But, in the meantime, here is chapter 13. Enjoy!

**Chapter 13: Finesse**

I was honestly afraid that Baralai wouldn't take me back, but he did, almost too quickly. He acted as though it was _his _fault I had quit. He was apologetic and awkward and… honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that my shoulder was still numb from Tidus' touch and the fact that Tidus' smell seemed permanently trapped in my nose, making my brain feel fuzzy, I wouldn't have sat there, listening to Baralai explain to me why I'm the best intern and why it's stupid to quit over Tidus and blah blah blah. Like I could really pay attention to what Baralai was saying anyway.

Now I'm back at the hotel, staring out the window, my shoulder still numb, my head still fuzzy. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't admit this, but right now, I don't even care. I'm watching Tidus.

He's outside the hotel with one of his teammates—whose name I'm not sure of—and they're kicking a blitzball back and forth, back and forth, running while they do so, running back and forth, back and forth. They're yelling, and while I can make out their voices, I can't make out what they're saying.

The weather is suddenly brilliantly beautiful. It's perhaps one of the nicest days of the entire summer. But now, it's growing dark. The sun is beginning to disappear behind the large buildings, but there is still enough light for Tidus and his friend to see the blitzball they are kicking.

I wish I can hear their conversation.

I know this is a bad idea, but without being able to help myself, I grab my laptop and head down to the lobby. I sit down in one of the big comfy chairs and open up my laptop, deciding to maybe e-mail some of my friends back home, a task I have been putting off all summer. But what is there to say? _Hey guys, I quit my internship today but then took it back. Luckily my supervisor is apparently in love with me, so he accepted me back. There's a blitzball player who I've been crazy about for years who is the one who convinced me to go back. He's confusing me like crazy, but, oh well._ Yeah, no.

So I make up some other things, like about what my daily life is like. I talk about filing and answering mail and stuffing envelopes and then, before I know what I'm doing, I'm talking about my golfing outing, and how I'm terrible at golf and then I'm talking about how I talked to the big-wigs and they agreed with me and how Tidus is going to be a star someday, just like I always knew he would. Well, okay, I took out that last part about Tidus.

Pretty soon the doors swing open, and I don't have to look up to know that it's Tidus and his friend. Of course, I do look up, my eyes taking a quick peek over the safety of my laptop. Tidus has the ball tucked under his arm and I'm shocked to meet not only Tidus' eyes, but his friend's eyes as well. They're both looking at me.

I shoot my eyes back down to my e-mail, just in time to hear Tidus' friend say, "Yo Tidus, there's your intern." I feel my cheeks flush red, even though I wish they hadn't. I don't want Tidus' friend to know I heard him.

Tidus says nothing. I'm even positive he's no longer looking at me, his eyes instead fixed straight ahead.

But I'm not brave enough to look.

Pretty soon the lobby is quiet again, with only the distant sound of an employee talking loudly on the phone and the clicking of my keyboard as I'm now writing, "I wonder if that would have been different if Tidus' friend hadn't been there…" Of course, I delete that, too.

It takes me a while before I realize that I'm shaking. My heart is beating and that fuzzy feeling has returned to my brain at full force. I take a few deep breaths and say to myself over and over, "It's okay, Yuna, it's okay. It's okay." It seems to work, but as soon as I stop repeating that, I feel myself start to shake again. I'm talking visible shaking, too. I'm trying to hold myself still, but it just doesn't work. Finally, I just sigh in defeat and return to my e-mail.

"I'll see you all soon. Love, Yuna."

As soon as I finish writing that, I do feel better. Perhaps I just needed to end the e-mail. When I look up though, feeling satisfied, my heart instantly begins to race again, because standing there, watching me, with an impossible-to-read look on his face, is Tidus.

He jumps a little when he notices that I've seen him, but he catches himself and walks casually toward me.

"Whatchya doin' here?" he asks me, and he plops down in the chair next to me.

"I'm just getting a change of scenery," I say, slowly, choosing my words as carefully as I possibly can. "What are you doing here?" Hey, I figure if he can ask me that question, than I can ask it too.

He shrugs, and lets his body sink down into the chair. "I'm thinking about taking a nap," I hear him say.

I look over at him, but his eyes are already closed, his body completely rested into the chair.

"Are you seriously going to take a nap right there?" I ask him.

One of his eyes opens in a childish way, and he says, "Is there a problem with that?"

"Um, no, I guess not," I say, and I look back at my computer screen.

"You're right," he says then, and he sits up straight, "I can't take a nap right now."

I just give him a puzzled look. I'm doing my best to pretend I'm okay. I keep focusing on my computer instead of at him, but really, I'm going crazy. Even crazier than I was earlier at the coffee shop. What is Tidus doing here? Why is he sitting there? Does he want to tell me something? Explain something to me? Just chat? Something?

"I'm too pumped up, you know," he says. He's not looking at me, but at the sphre that's in the corner, showing clips from today's training camp. I look at the sphere too. Was that all just this morning? Mark this down as the longest day of my life.

I don't know what to say, so I simply turn back to my computer. Maybe it's time to finally play it cool.

"What are you writing?" My is Tidus curious this evening.

"An e-mail."

"About what?"

"Just how things are going."

"Am I in there?" I catch him lift his head as if he hopes he can see my screen.

"No," I say, which is the truth.

"How could you leave me out?" He's giving me a playful pout. My heart speeds. I do my best to hide this fact.

Instead, I shrug. "It's not too difficult…"

"Did Baralai take you back?"

For some reason, that question seems stronger, more serious. I even look up from my computer to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, he did," I say.

"Cool," is all Tidus says. And, with that, he stands up and stretches. "I knew he would."

"I guess I did, too," I admit.

Tidus rocks back and forth then, his eyes still on the sphere. Although his back is to me, I feel as though he's debating on something. His hands are placed casually on his hips, and he just keeps rocking back and forth, back and forth.

Finally, he turns around, and I see that he has inflated his cheeks up with air, just as he had the first time I saw him at the hotel. He doesn't seem to care that he looks like a fish, and he stares at me, his cheeks inflated, his eyes blank, and yet so full of thought.

Now I know he's debating something. My heart quickens. A part of me desperately wants to know what he's debating, but another part of me feels a little frightened.

"You know," he finally says, and he rocks back and forth again, "at the end of the week, there's a little party, you know, for all of us who survived rookie camp. It's formal and nice and kinda reminds me of a high school prom—and it's that lame, too—but anyway, if you hadn't messed everything up, I would have invited you to be my date."

I feel my mouth drop. If I had anything to say, it left me. Tidus just gives me a grin, raises his eyebrows at me, spins on his heel, and starts toward the stairs.

"Whoa, wait!" I yell at him. I jump up so fast that my laptop slides off of my lap and goes crashing onto the ground, making a loud noise. I'm pretty sure it's the crash, and not my call, that causes Tidus to turn around.

His face lights into a smile of disbelief and he shakes his head as he watches me try to scoop up my laptop, hoping that I haven't ruined it.

Taking a deep breath, I cradle my laptop in my arms and look up at him.

"What do you mean, if I hadn't "messed everything up?"'

"Well, I think you just messed up your laptop," Tidus says, shaking his head, his smile still wide. He seems to enjoy my misfortune far too much.

"That doesn't mess anything up!" I cry.

"Yuna," he says, shaking his head, slowly, his smile gone, "I can't invite you to be my date because people are already talking and I don't like it."

Okay, so that makes sense. I remember his friend's callout earlier—"Yo Tidus, there's your intern." I knew his friend hadn't said that to point it out. "Yo Tidus, there's that girl who I think you should probably get together with!" No, it was more like, "HAHA, TIDUS, THERE'S THAT GIRL WHO'S OBSESSED WITH YOU." And yes, those caps were necessary.

For the first time, I was beginning to understand how I was an embarrassment to Tidus.

"I'm sorry," I finally muster. "I shouldn't have done those things. I'm really, really sorry."

Tidus seems shocked that I am, for once, on his side. He just stands there, his hand on the back of his neck.

"Um, you can always go with Baralai," he offers.

"Ugh," I say, and, as if I needed the dramatic emphasis, I look at the ceiling.

A smile seems to be playing on Tidus' mouth, and he takes a step toward me.

"You can hang out with Cetan, and Leblanc, and drink champagne and pretend you're something. You can go shopping with Leblanc first, and get some sexy black dress. And then, everyone on the team will want to sleep with you, just because you're with Baralai, so they'll assume you're something special. And then, everyone will really like you, Yuna."

When Tidus had first started talking, his tone was completely cynical, but the more he talked, the more his tone shrunk. At first I thought he was saying something mean, but I was beginning to realize that there was something else going on.

He was jealous. Jealous of Baralai. I wasn't sure what it was that gave me that hint, but at the same time, I wasn't sure how it had taken me that long to figure it out.

"I won't go with Baralai," I say quickly, and I cross my arms around my laptop, again, as if I needed some sort of dramatic emphasis.

"Sure you will," Tidus says with a shrug. "You'll fall for him eventually."

"No I won't," I cannot believe I'm jumping to my own defense. "Tidus, I don't like him. I only like—."

"Me," Tidus finishes for me.

There's no longer any use denying it. For as long as I had known Tidus, my biggest fear had been him finding out my feelings for him. But it was becoming more and more apparent to me that I couldn't hide them. They just leapt out of me, without any control, and swarmed around anyone who was even slightly suspicious.

Actually, I was a little upset with the way this was all unraveling. I had always imagined Tidus to have some sort of completely strange reaction when I knew that he knew that I was in love with him. I had always imagined him to be shocked or outraged or some sort of intense, intense emotion. But, instead, he looks sad. And I know I can't deny it anymore.

"Exactly," I say.

Tidus says nothing. He just looks at me with that same, seemingly expressionless face, but with his eyes just glowing with thought. And then, he takes a step toward me, followed by another one.

To me, it all seems to be happening so fast. I feel my heart instantly begin to speed. My body tenses up. Soon he's near enough to touch me. And then, my eyes close in anticipation.

Yes, I'm expecting a kiss.

But none comes. I open my eyes, and see Tidus standing there, so close to me that our chests are almost touching. He looks down at me with a smile.

Then, he laughs, and pats my cheek. "Don't pucker, Yuna," he says, and with that, he turns around, and starts to walk away.

I think about shouting after him. Or running after him. Or something. But I don't. I stand there, watching him as he goes up the stairs. I wait for him to turn around, but he doesn't. Soon, he pulls out his cell phone and begins to text something to someone, and with that, he disappears from my sight.

I bite my lip and narrow my eyes.

Well, I tell myself, I have learned two things today: 1. Tidus is jealous of Baralai. Why, I'm not sure. And 2. Tidus likes to tease me. He knows my feelings, and instead of acting one way or another, he just keeps stringing me along.

And with that, I decided I knew what I would do.

I was going to go to the end-of-camp party with Baralai. If he asked, of course. I would make Tidus jealous.

"Two can play this game, Tidus," I find myself saying, and with that, I hug my laptop to my chest and start toward my own room.


	14. Obliviousness

Yay, I'm updating! Okay, so, this chapter basically kind of ran away from me. I can't help it. I have a thing for Cetan's character. He just does whatever he wants and I can't help but write it. (Look at me, being all authorish and acting like my characters are alive...) Anyway, I think everything is starting to semi-come together for me. So that's good.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 14: Obliviousness**

Day three of training camp. I couldn't help but think that the second I woke up. Day three of training camp. Who knew what day three could possibly have in store for me.

A part of me felt as though things between Baralai and I would be a little awkward. I guess I don't know why I felt this way. It wasn't as if anything had really _happened_ between Tidus and I. I guess, really, the only thing that had changed between Tidus and I was that I didn't really seem to make a fool out of myself in front of him.

I'm just kidding. Seriously, in one day, I had a random break down in front of him, dropped my laptop and almost ruined it, and full-out prepared for a kiss that wasn't coming. I would be surprised if Tidus ever talked to me again.

But, at the same time, I felt as though Tidus was expecting me to act the way I acted.

But anyway, back to Baralai.

"Good morning, Yuna," Baralai greets me as he walks into the office. I don't exactly mean to, but I find myself glancing up at him, mostly to say hi, only to, well, feel my mouth drop a little. He looked, well, spiffy, for lack of better word. He was wearing a sharp polo in violet, which, strangely enough, looked really nice on him. He had on a rather trendy pair of sunglasses, which he took off as soon as he reached his desk.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, he looked nice.

"Good morning," I finally manage, and I turned back to the training camp programs I had just picked up from the in-house printer. I needed to make sure there were enough around the arena for the fans. I look up at him, and say, "So, what's on the schedule for today?"

At first Baralai seems too immersed in something on his computer, but he finally looks at me, and says, "Morning blitz, and then the guys are going to do some stuff around the city for fun. So you'll have the afternoon off."

I feel instantly disappointed.

"Are you going with them?" I ask, deciding to do my best to hide my disappointment at the short day. Especially after such a long day the day before!

"Probably," Baralai answers. "We're just going to some arcade and then on a tour of the city in one of those open-bus things."

I can't help but feel my eyes widen by the idea of a tour of the city. Now that it's been brought up, I realize that I haven't even actually seen much of the city. Not much at all.

Baralai seems to notice this, and I see him roll his eyes, and he tilts his head up so that he's looking at the ceiling. I feel a small smile creep onto my face. Is he thinking about letting me come with?

"I suppose you want to come with, huh?" Baralai asks, confirming my thoughts.

"It would be nice to see the city," I say with a shrug.

"And Tidus," Baralai adds with an eye roll.

"Um, I really wasn't thinking that," I say, even though it's only kind of the truth. I really do want to see the city. Tidus is just an added bonus.

"Technically, girls complicate everything," Baralai says. "These guys are all horn dogs—excuse my language, but it's true—you know. They can all be jerks."

I just shrug. "So far they've been okay around me."

"You're welcome to join us," Baralai says, although the look on his face says that he wishes he was saying otherwise. "I guess we can use all the supervision we can get. We'll be with twenty-five idiots, after all."

I chuckle. "You shouldn't be so mean. You were a blitzball player, too."

Baralai stands up and head toward the door. "That's how I know they're idiots," he says, and he flashes me a smile, and out the door he goes.

I simply smile to myself and continue getting the programs ready.

Scrimmage went well. I was busy selling concessions, which, quite frankly, wasn't the most fun job, but Wakka seemed desperate to find someone to work it, since one of the usuals was out with some sort of sickness. The worst thing about it, though, was that I couldn't watch even a second of the scrimmage. I had no idea how it went.

Well, I had no idea how it had gone for Tidus.

But, as soon as it was over, and people were exiting, I was able to kind of figure it out, at least.

"That Tidus kid is really good!" an older man was saying to his wife as they left. "I knew he would someday fill his dad's footsteps!"

I also heard a younger kid beg his mom for a shirt with Tidus' name and number on the back. "Please, please, please?" the kid had cried, with his hands clasped. It wouldn't have surprised me if the kid fell to his knees in hopes that that would be more convincing.

Oh, and a girl with far too much makeup on had said to her friend, "What bar do you think the guys go to? I want to say a little hello to Tidus."

But other than those little snippets, I wasn't really too sure how it had gone.

As soon as everyone was gone, though, I rushed back to my office to find Baralai. It didn't take much looking, because I actually ran smack into him as I ran into the office. The two of us slammed together, and I would have fallen over, if it hadn't been for Baralai catching him.

"Whoa, take it easy!" he said with a soft chuckle as he caught me by wrapping his hand somehow around the back of my waist.

"Um, sorry," I said. "I just wanted to know how the scrimmage went."

"It went well," he said, releasing me. "Your boy scored a few goals, even."

I felt my eyebrows raise. Oh, and I also felt my cheeks redden a bit, not because I was embarrassed that Baralai had just referred to Tidus as my boy, but rather because I truly liked the way that sounded.

But I kept calm. "That's good," I replied.

"So, then, are you ready to go arcade it up with the boys?" Baralai questioned. He shot me a smile, as though he was hoping I would say no. But of course I wasn't about to back out of that.

"Of course," I answered.

"Wakka's not going to be happy with me," Baralai said, but I saw a smile on his lips. Maybe he really was hoping I would say yes.

With that, he led me outside the arena, where a school bus was parked. _Yes_—a school bus.

And that's where I am now. Standing next to Baralai, gaping at the school bus as though I've never seen one in my life.

"We travel in style, eh?"

Okay, confession time. For some reason, whenever I hear a male's voice, my first thought is always, "Tidus?" even though, in the back of my mind, I know it's not his voice. And in this case, I totally jump and feel my heart start to speed, only to realize that it's Cetan standing next to me, not Tidus.

"U-Um, yeah," I say. "School bus. Classy."

Cetan puts his arm around my shoulders in a friendly way and gives me a squeeze. For some reason, the closeness feels strange. I feel goosebumps appear on my arms. Why, I'm not sure. But I do.

"Only the best for pro blitzers," Cetan says. With that, he releases me, and nods to Baralai.

"Yo, 'Lai, what's up?" he questions his friend.

Baralai looks at him, and I can't help but sense some sort of strange animosity in the way Baralai's eyes are gleaming. It's almost as if he's silently asking Cetain, "Why did you just touch my girl?"

I shiver.

I hear voices then, and I glance behind me, only to see the rest of the guys, walking out, laughing and talking. Some seem calm. They're drinking water, looking parched from the scrimmage that ended not too long ago. A few of the other guys are running around. I notice one guy has a blitzball tucked under his arm, and he's running toward the bus at full speed, with three guys chasing him. And then I hear laughter. And I see Tidus, surrounded by five guys. He's the source of the laughter.

But when his eyes catch mine, his laughter slowly fades. He looks at me for a long time, and I look back at him, unsure of what else to do.

Baralai nudges me then. I'm not sure if he knew Tidus and I were having a strange staring match, but he's nudging me to tell me to go ahead and load the bus.

"Okay, okay, one at a time, boys!" Wakka's voice is heard then. He's standing by the bus driver, his arms crossed, as though he needs to direct the guys as to where they sit. He smiles at me as I pass.

I take the first seat right behind the bus driver, unsure of where else to sit, and Baralai sits next to me, which is what I was expecting, so there is no need for me to feel any sort of dismay. After all, I _know_ it wasn't as though Tidus was going to sit by me.

Cetan takes the seat behind us, which is not shocking to me at all. The group of calm guys get on first, and take the seats surrounding us. Then the guys with the blitzball enter, the one still clinging it to his chest. And finally, Tidus' group.

Tidus is leading, and he walks right past me without even looking. I had hoped that he would at least appear as though he was searching for me, just to prove to myself that he was at least a little interested. But he does no such thing. He only works his way toward the back of the bus, and takes the very last seat, his posse following him and surrounding themselves around him.

I try not to hide my disappointment, but it's hard not to. And even though Baralai doesn't comment on it, I know he sees it.

"'Lai, don't you think this arcade trip is a little dumb?" Cetan says. He was leaning over the back of our seat, resting his elbows on the worn leather, a grin on his face.

"It is a tad, I suppose," Baralai admits. "But it's tradition, Satan."

"Ha ha," Cetan says. "So what the hell was up with Tidus today? He scored four goals on me today!"

"He must have slept well last night," Baralai answered coolly, and I notice him glance quickly in my direction. I feel my eyes narrow. I had nothing to do with it, and I was beginning to wish people would stop thinking I did.

"He never scores on me," Cetan says. "I think he's getting a big head."

"His head couldn't get any more inflated than it already is," Baralai says with an eye roll. "He even has his own personal cheerleader."

"Shut up," I say, my voice hardly a whisper. _What's Baralai's _deal? I question myself as I turn to look out the window.

Cetan laughs. "Tunie, he was only kidding."

Then, noticing that I still didn't look happy, Cetan said, "You know, maybe I'll talk to him. See if I can hook something up?"

Now I had to turn around. I had to see Baralai's horrorstruck face—which was, I must add, fantastic. "What do you mean, hook something up?"

"You know, talk to him," Cetan says. "Tidus and I get along. I'll tell him I think the two of you should hook up."

I know without looking that Baralai is fuming. But in the pit of my stomach, I'm wondering how Cetan knows about my little infatuation with Tidus. _Oh, right, the whole team knows now…_

But, I realize, Baralai must not have told Cetan about his feelings toward me. How strange. Everyone knows about my feelings toward Tidus, something I tried so hard to keep hidden, but yet no one knows how Baralai feels about me…

In a way, I realize that I feel a little—just a little—bad for him.

Baralai finally seems to regain himself, for he says, "Sate, employees aren't supposed to date players."  
"She's not an employee," Cetan says, pointing to me as though I'm not there. "She's an intern. And you know as well as anyone that interns sleep with players."

I almost cough.

"I don't want to _sleep _with him," I say, fighting to keep from choking on my own spit. "I'm not some slut."

Cetan seems confused, as though he really did assume I only wanted to sleep with Tidus.

"I'd have to fire Yuna," Baralai says with a shrug. "It's in the handbook. No having anything but professional relationships with players. Yuna knows that."

Now it seems as though Baralai is standing up for me. Never has he brought up anything from a handbook. Actually, I'm pretty sure there is no handbook.

"Right Yuna?" Baralai asks me. He has a smile on his lips, as if we're just having a joking conversation. Not something that has some truth to it.

"Of course," I find myself saying.

Cetan still looks confused.

"Um, but 'Lai, we've all…" he trails. I know whatever he was planning on saying is something he can't say. Not with me sitting right there.

The bus stops then. I look out the window, and realize we've reached the arcade.

"Alright," Wakka, who was sitting across the aisle from us, stands up, "I have game cards for all of you. Pick one up when you pass by."

Cetan rolls his eyes and pats Baralai on the shoulder. "Woo," he says with a sarcastic twirl of his finger. "First we pull up in a school bus and now game cards! I feel like I'm five again."

"Oh, shut up," Baralai only says. Baralai stands up then, and I follow, unsure of what else to do. As we pass Wakka, Baralai grabs two game cards, and hands one to me.

"Knock yourself out, Yuna," he says as I take the blue card.

"I'm not very good at games," I admit as I follow him off the bus. The players begin coming out as well, and Cetan walks over to us, and puts his arm around my shoulders again.

Honestly, it's weird how I feel when he does that. A part of me semi-freaks out. The goosebumps and all that. But in a strange way, it seems comforting. I almost don't want him to remove his arm from my shoulders. It's completely casual, but there's a strange closeness about it. A part of me wants to squirm away. And another part of me wants to roll right into him, and wrap my arms around his waist.

Like I said, it's weird.

And Baralai looks angry. Which just adds a whole layer to the weirdness.

"Wanna play me in air hockey?" Cetan asks me.

"Um, I've never played that before," I say, although I have. I'm terrible at it.

"Then I'll have to show you," Cetan says. He removes his arm then, and shoots me a nice, warm smile. The smile gives me a similar feeling as his arm around my shoulders does.

And that's when it hits me. He's flirting with me. Cetan. Cetan, the future goalie of the Zanarkand Abes, is flirting with me. Cetan, seemingly Baralai's best friend, is flirting with me. Cetan, the well-liked goalie, is flirting with me. Cetan, the very nice-looking goalie, is flirting with me.

Cetan, the goalie with a girlfriend, is flirting with me.

I feel numb with that realization.

"I, um, have to use the ladies' room, actually," I say. It's the only thing I can _think _to say. It's the only thing that comes out.

"Oh, I'll show you where it is," Cetan says.

I notice that Baralai's standing behind us, looking, well, defeated. I feel bad for him again.

But I can't say or do anything but follow Cetan inside the dimly lit arcade, with Baralai trailing behind us, and then duck into the ladies' room that Cetan points out for me. As soon as I'm inside, with the door tightly closed behind me, I finally begin to analyze my situation.

I walk straight over to the sink and splash some cold water on my face, careful not to smudge any of my makeup.

_What is going on?_ my brain cries. First Baralai, and now _Cetan_? My heart is pounding. Cetan couldn't be serious. He has a girlfriend! I think of Leblanc and her perfect hair and her perfect clothes and her perfect body. No way Cetan would want to risk that for me. But then I think about what Tidus had said about Leblanc. Most of the team had slept with her. But maybe that had been a while ago?

I splash a little more water on my face.

Maybe the best thing to do is to avoid Cetan as much as possible. I nod to my reflection in the mirror. I'll go find Baralai and stay attached to his side. At least Baralai hasn't exactly put the moves on me or anything. It's clear that he likes me, but he also at least seems to respect my feelings and everything. But then I remember that Baralai and Cetan are basically best friends. Wherever Baralai is, Cetan is there.

I close my eyes. Maybe Baralai is currently explaining to Cetan that he has feelings for me and Cetan needs to back off.

But then I remember how I feel when Cetan puts his arm around me. Or when he flashes that smile.

My stomach hurts. It feels _good_. I find myself even wishing that Cetan would hug me. Or hold my hand. Or… I don't know, something.

I look at myself in the mirror again. It's foolish. Me and Cetan? It's foolish. And stupid.

And then I think of Tidus.

I have to find Tidus.

With that as my though, I start toward the door. I almost reach it, even, before I realize, I can't find Tidus. What's Tidus possibly going to do? He'll be surrounded by his teammates, and they'll all give him crap, and he'll get angry. Tidus isn't going to fix anything. Not now.

With my eyes closed, I decide to just go out there and play everything by ear. Or, maybe I can find Wakka. At least Wakka seems unaware of everything that's going on.

And at least Wakka hasn't made any advancements on me. Yet, anyway.

I walk out into the flashing lights and loud noises of the arcade. I see the rowdy group with the blitzball now playing a blitzball tossing game, hooting and hollering loudly. I spot the calmer group hanging out at the arcade bar. I notice Cetan and a few other guys playing ice hockey. And then I spot Baralai, talking to one of the younger players, off in the corner, by himself.

At least it looks safe by Baralai.

I take a deep breath and start toward him.

The player leaves just as I reach Baralai, who turns around and greets me with a friendly smile. I can't help but feel relieved. It's such a harmless smile.

"Hey," he greets me. "Play any games yet?"

"No," I say, laughing. I'm not sure why I'm laughing. I suppose it's because I just feel all-around awkward.

"Me neither," Baralai says. "It gets kind of old when it's your fifth year at this place. And Cetan's whining because it's his third."

I smile, but I know my smile is wavering. I can't help it. Baralai just had to mention Cetan.

"Have you found Tidus to tell him good game yet?" Baralai asks me then.

"No, I haven't seen him," I say.

"Check the poker table. I know he likes that game."

"Oh." I guess I'm startled that Baralai seems to be telling me to go see Tidus. Maybe he thinks it's less of a threat to be around Tidus than Cetan. And, well, maybe he's right.

At least Tidus hasn't made any moves on me, either. Although, come on, I would give anything to have Tidus make a move.

"What?" Baralai asks then. "Aren't you going to go?"

"Well, what about that stuff you said about the handbook and stuff?"

"Oh, I just wanted Cetan off your back," Baralai says with an eye roll. "Just ignore him."

"Yeah, okay," I say. I have no idea what else to say.

Baralai gives me a weird look, and he says, "You're not going to go find Tidus, are you?"

I shrug.

"I guess I understand," Baralai says. "I mean, he has his friends with him. I can understand why that would be intimidating."

Intimidating wasn't really the right word. I cursed myself. I wasn't worried about myself. I was worried about Tidus. I was afraid that if I walked over to him, his friends would say stuff. And I wasn't worried that they would say stuff about me. I was worried that they would say stuff about him. And I didn't want that. Not now.

I suddenly feel like crying.

"I shouldn't have come," I say then.

I wait for Baralai to say something to assure me that I'm fine, but he doesn't.

"Yuna," he says, finally, after quite a long bout of silence, "you need to know something. Blitzball players, well, we're—I mean, they're—a bunch of tools. Almost all of them. I just… I just want you to know that."

For some reason, I couldn't ignore Baralai's slip. "_We're—I mean they_." And Baralai's words before: "_These guys are all horn dogs—excuse my language, but it's true—you know. They can all be jerks_."

Baralai knows. He knows because he, too, was a blitzball player. And, he, too, was just like them.

For the first time since I first laid eyes on Tidus, I feel as though these guys are all completely out of my league.


	15. With Tidus

Yay I'm updating again! Woo! Anyway, I like this chapter. Like I said, I have this thing for Cetan. I really can't help myself. I guess I subconsciously modeled him after this really good looking hockey goalie I used to swoon over... or something like that. I guess goalie automatically equals this good looking, suave goalie, or something. Oh, and by the way, I pronounce "Cetan" like "Sha-tan" in my head. There's a hockey player named Miroslav Satan who is kind not my favorite player at all, but he smiled at me once, and I think it's cool that his name is Satan (because then I tell people that Satan smiled at me once-haha!) and for some reason, I pronounce Cetan like you pronounce his name. Just a random little tidbit for you guys. Anyway, I also like Tidus in this chapter. It adds like another whole layer to him. Or something. I don't know. All I can say is, things are heating up. With everybody. Ha. Anyway, enjoy!

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**Chapter 15: With Tidus**

I eventually excuse myself from Baralai and go outside. I decide fresh air will hopefully help me clear my head. I'm honestly not sure why I'm freaking out so much over Cetan's flirtatiousness, but I am.

I suppose maybe it's because I know I'm flattered.

I walk over to the curb where the bus is parked and take a seat, not caring if I get my white capris a little dirty. I lean my elbows on my knees and duck my face into my hands.

Coming along was a bad idea after all, just as Baralai had tried to warn me.

"Whatchya doin'?"

The voice behind me caused me to jump. And this time, my first thought was, "Cetan?" But that thought immediately disappeared. I know that voice. That voice belongs to Tidus.

I turn around quickly, and sure enough, he's walking toward me. Actually, he's reached me. He walks past me so that he's on the street and he stretches. Then, he turns to look at me, and says, "Did you go through your whole game card that fast?"

The only thing I can do is smile. I want to laugh, but my stomach hurts too bad.

"No, of course not," I say. "I didn't play a single game."

"Well, in that case, can I have your card?" Tidus asks. He's standing in front of me now, towering over me, holding his hand out to me.

"Are you serious?" I ask, my smile not fading.

"Of course," Tidus says. He smiles at me and then takes a seat next to me. I give him a suspicious glance. This seems unlike him. "I can't get enough of those games. Especially that bowling game for babies." He cracks then, and laughs. "It's so lame that we come here."

"Some of the guys seemed to be having fun," I offer with a shrug.

"Well, you're not. What's up?"

Is he—dare I say it?—_concerned_?

"Oh, nothing," I say with a shrug. "I just don't like games."

"Baralai bothering you?" He gives me a grin.

"No, things are cool between us," I say.

"That's good," Tidus says. He gives me a strange look, then, but says nothing.

"What are you doing, um, out here?" I ask.

Tidus shakes his head and leans back. "Did you hear about how I played today?" he asks me.

I smile at him. "Yeah, I heard. Four goals, or something like that?"

"Yeah," Tidus says, nodding. He looks happy. There's a slight smile on his lips, and his eyes look glossy, as though he's not sitting next to me, but back in the sphere pool. I can't help but smile. This is how I always imagined he'd be. Constantly thinking about blitz. In love with the sport that he is blessed enough to play.

He laughs then, and says, "I was unbeatable out there today. I haven't felt that way since, well, since my sophomore year of college. It felt awesome. I think… I think I've gotten it again."

I smile wider. "I'm glad," I say.

"I think my theory is working," he says. He licks his lips quickly, almost as though he's wondering whether he should tell me something or not.

"What theory?" I ask, not because I want to, but because the question just comes out.

"That I can't distract myself thinking about girls," Tidus says. He gives me a wide, cheeky smile.

"Oh," I say. For some reason, I was expecting him to say something along the lines of, "You're my good luck charm, Yuna!" Of course, I should have known that was foolish.

"See, before, I liked to think about girls about 90% of the time. Which girl was I going to go out with after the game. How far would we go. Would I take her out again. Those kinds of things. But now I realize that it's dumb. And it's working pretty well for me."

"I'm happy for you," I say, but my statement sounds more like a question. I have just come to the conclusion that all blitzball players are morons, and now Tidus is sitting here, basically telling me that yes, Baralai was right, blitzball players are all horn dogs! Cool.

"Anyway, just thought you'd, um, like to know," Tidus says. He gives me a strange grin, and with that, he stands up, stretches again, and turns toward the door.

I simply turn back toward the road and take a deep breath. Why is everything suddenly so confusing?

Soon, it's time for the tour. We all pile back into the bus, Baralai and I in the same seat again. I feel suddenly comforted by the idea of sitting by Baralai and nobody else. But, of course, Cetan is behind us. But he's too busy talking to a player who is sitting across the aisle from him. _Thank Yevon._

But, even though I'm currently comforted by the fact that I'm by Baralai and Cetan isn't paying attention to me, I also feel a little—I'm not sure how to word it—_upset _that Cetan isn't giving me attention. It's strange. I want his attention. But at the same time, I don't want it. And worst of all, while I'm having this strange, unexplainable internal warfare, I just want to turn to Baralai and cuddle into him so that he and only he can have me.

I bite my lip. Really, what I need to do is go to the back of the bus and sit on Tidus' lap or something (you know, since he's in that little single spot in the very back) and just get away from the other two. But, for obvious reasons, I can't exactly do that.

So, I decide the best thing to do is to focus on Tidus. I think of the conversation I had with him just minutes earlier. What was he trying to tell me? That the reason he hasn't been making advancements is because he promised he wouldn't think of girls? Or is he making up an excuse as to why he hasn't made an advancement? Ugh, he's just as confusing as the other two.

We finally arrive, and so Baralai and I exit first, again, and I watch as the rest get out. Cetan walks over to us, and I feel myself tense up. I'm waiting for him to put his arm around me again, but he does no such thing. Instead, he's too busy shouting at a random blitzer, the same one he was talking to from across the aisle. The two are exchanging different racial slurs. I realize the other is an Al Bhed. They're just kidding, it seems, judging by their smiles. I shake my head. I feel as though I'm beginning to understand blitzball players less and less by every second.

The tour is by boat, I realize. An ocean tour. I have to bite my lip to hide my excitement. After all, the entire idea is just fantastic! And, it's a gorgeous day!

I'm so trapped in my reverie that I don't notice that Cetan is standing right next to me.

"Hey, Yuna, wanna sit by me?" he asks. His smile is there again. That casual, gentle smile. That smile that momentarily has me completely sucked in. I even find myself nodding, as though I'm silently saying, _Sure, Cetan. Do whatever you want with me._

But then I notice Baralai. He looks sad. Again.

"Um, I was, um, going to sit by Baralai—," I begin, but Cetan immediately cuts me off.

"Aw, you sit by Baralai all day, every day. Switch it up a bit!"

He doesn't give me time to answer. He puts his arm comfortingly around me again, and starts walking toward the boat.

"I can point out all the good stuff before the tour guide," he assures me with his same, brilliant smile.

"Um, okay," I say. I try to steal a glance back at Baralai, as though hoping he'll do something, but I can't. Maybe it's because there is that little part of me that wants to. That stupid little part that is panicking because I can't help but think, "Does Cetan _like_ me?"

My heart's pounding. I'm panicking. I'm in heaven. I'm everywhere. I try to get a grip on myself as Cetan leads me to a seat in the front, and nods for me to sit on the inside so I can have a better look at everything.

I'm still trying to snap out of it.

Just as I'm about to give up and sit down, something happens. Something more unexplainable than the feelings I'm feeling for Cetan.

"Cetan, what are you doing?"

I completely expected that to be Baralai. Finally, Baralai had snapped to his senses and come to rescue me and remind Cetan that, yes, he's a good looking guy, but he has a girlfriend and I just am not that kind of girl.

But it's not Baralai.

"What?" Cetan says. He's squinting, as though he can't, just as I can't, believe that Tidus is standing there, giving us both a look as though he doesn't understand what's going on.

"What are you doing?" Tidus repeats. He even throws in a dramatic throw of his arms as though he _really_ needs an explanation. As though he's borderline angry. Or, something.

"I'm sitting down for the tour…" Cetan says. He looks utterly confused.

I'm sure I look the same way.

"With Yuna?" Tidus says, nodding toward me. Then, he brushes past Cetan and takes my arm. "She's with me, Cetan."

He pulls me away from Cetan, and toward the back. Cetan appears too dumbfounded to say anything. I'm almost too dumbfounded to walk.

Tidus leads me to the very back, and then stands off to the side, dropping my arm. I realize he's waiting for me to scoot into the inside seat. I quickly do so, and reality starts slowly coming back to me. Did Tidus just tell Cetan that I was _with_ him?

I realize I'm breathing heavily. Luckily I'm not heaving or anything like that, so I don't think Tidus notices. My hair feels all disorderly. I feel like a mess.

Neither of us say anything. Soon the boat is filled, the tour guide has introduced herself, and we're off. But Tidus and I don't say anything. We just sit there, next to each other, in the very back of the boat, staring off at different places.

My heart slowly starts to slow. Not all the way, of course, because I'm sitting next to Tidus, but at least I'm starting to feel calmer and less confused. I know I have to say something eventually.

So, I say the only thing that comes to my mind.

"Um, hi."

He glances at me as though he forgot I was sitting there, and then looks away. "Hi," he says, his voice almost gruff.

Okay, did he really think he could tell Cetan I was with him, then drag me to the back of the boat, and not give any explanation for himself? I take a deep breath. We're currently trapped on a boat next to each other. I'm going to drag that explanation out.

"So, um, that was kind of weird, you know, what you did back there."

Tidus takes a deep breath and lets the air out loudly. Then, he turns to me by cocking his head toward me, and gives me what appears to be a bored look.

"Cetan was laying the moves on you pretty thick," he just says, and I notice a small smile prying on his lips. "I figured I'd save you before you got sucked in too far."

"Well, that was awfully sweet of you," I say, and I cock my head toward his, mostly because I could.

He shrugs and gives me the same cheeky smile he seems fond of giving me.

"I'm a good guy like that."

With that, he looks away in the other direction.

"Well, it was sweet of you," I say, mostly to myself, for I, too, look in the other direction.

Inside, though, I'm cursing myself. Here I am, trapped in a boat, sitting next to Tidus. And I have _nothing _to say? How can that be? My heart starts pounding again. So loud that I'm _positive_ Tidus can hear it. How can he not? I'm surprised the sound isn't vibrating and rocking the boat. Ba-Bump. Ba-Bump. Ba-Bump.

I have to say something.

"Tidus, I—."

The tour guide cuts me off.

"And to your right, you'll see the Grand Stadium, home of our very own Zanarkand Abes!"

Most of the guys start laughing. One of the guys yells, "We know!"

I look over and look at the beautiful, large stadium. It's much larger than the one the Wasps play at. And it's so beautiful, the way it overlooks the ocean.

Suddenly, I feel as though someone is looking at me. I turn to look at Tidus, but he's not looking at me. He's looking at the stadium. His mouth is slightly agape, and his eyes are very focused. I can almost see the stadium reflected in them.

I turn away from him and back to the stadium. That right there is what Tidus wants more than anything. I just know it. And, just like that, I know what I'm going to say to him.

"Someday, you will be playing there," I say. "I just know it."

"I hope you're right," he says. He looks away from me and focuses on the seat in front of him. "I really hope you're right."

"You will!" I offer. "I… I just know it."

He laughs, a soft, easy little laugh, and then turns to look at me.

"You're alright, Yuna," he says, and immediately shakes his head after he speaks, almost as though he's wishing he hadn't said that.

"You're alright, too, Tidus," I say, mostly because I have nothing else to say. And, obviously, I want to keep the conversation going. Somehow.

He laughs. "Thanks, Yuna. That means _so much_ to me."

"Don't be sarcastic," I say, laughing. "I know it does mean a lot to you."

"It does," he says, and he turns to me. He looks forward though, and then shifts a little, and before I know what's happening, his arm is around me.

And, um, let me tell you right now, the way Cetan made me feel when he put his arm around me? Yeah, it didn't even _begin_ to compare. My whole body went numb, first of all. It was slow, but it happened. First my shoulders started tingling. Then my neck. And then my back. And pretty soon I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't feel the seat I was sitting on. I literally feel like I'm flying.

Like Cetan, Tidus is totally casual. He's slouched his chair, his arm just casually around me. His arm is actually resting on the seat, not on my shoulders, but it is touching me just ever-so-slightly. Enough to make my body go numb. If my heart's still beating, I can no longer feel it.

Maybe I died.

We sit like that for the rest of the tour. I'm no longer sure what to do. All I can do is sit there, completely motionless, and try to get some sort of feeling back into my body. But that is, of course, impossible.

Soon the boat reaches the dock. I wish it never had to. I wish we could just float forever, me next to Tidus, Tidus next to me. But, of course, I knew it had to end.

As soon as we reach the dock and we're able to move, Tidus stands up. He stands up very quickly, and before I know it, he's gone. Just like that. A part of me feels hurt that he left that quickly, but I decide to shake that off.

After all, I just spent over an hour next to him, completely numb just from his existence. Really, no need to complain.

But, as soon as I step off the boat, I instantly feel a little bit worried, for standing there, almost as though they're waiting for me, are Baralai and Cetan. And neither of them look too happy.

So, I decide to play it cool.

"Hey guys," I say, walking up to them.

"Hey," Baralai says. Cetan says nothing.

Baralai clears his throat then, lowers his voice, and says, "You're with Tidus?"

"Um, no, I—."

"You're with Tidus and you didn't tell us?" Baralai says. He's not even listening to me.

"I'm not with Tidus," I say.

"That's not what Tidus said," Cetan speaks. He looks angry. I want to tell him that he's the one flirting while he has a girlfriend.

"Tidus lied," I say. "He just… wanted to sit by me, I guess."

Baralai rolls his eyes, and says, "Come on. We need to board the bus."

I'm glad for Baralai's distraction. Cetan is still giving me a nasty look. I can't help but return his nasty look. Then, I roll my eyes and walk quickly toward the bus. Without saying anything, I slide in next to Wakka, who seems utterly confused.

Baralai and Cetan both glare at me as they take their own seats.

I peek back at Tidus. He's laughing at something a teammate said. He seems the same as he did earlier. As if nothing had ever happened between us.

"So, sittin' with me, are ya?" Wakka asks. "Good, I was hoping you could help me sort through these nametags."

"What are these for?" I question.

"The guys are doing a hospital visit tomorrow," Wakka said. "We need to put the nametags into groups."

"Okay," I say, glad that finally, I have a distraction.

But in the back of my head, all I could think was, _Why are boys so utterly confusing?_


	16. Kiss

Okay guys, I'm kind of in love with this chapter. Like, legit in love with it. So I hope you like it, too. Also, I just realized that my "separation" marks aren't working. Whenever I feel like a slight chunk of time passes, I use a dash to show it. But they're not showing up. Sorry about that. I fixed it in this chapter.

Anyway, **please** enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 16: Kiss**

Day four of prospect camp. Hospital visit day, apparently. I begin to wish the guys had made a schedule, or something, for me so I at least had a better idea as to what was going on. But, again, typical guys.

When I get to the work, Baralai is already there, sitting at his desk, looking at something on his computer.

"Hey," I greet him.

"Oh, hey," he says, looking up at me. Usually he goes back to whatever he was doing, but today, he stops and walks over toward me. "Can I talk to you?"

"Um, sure," I say. I put my handbag down on my chair and turn to him. "What's up? Did I so something wrong?" I think about the hotdog that I accidentally sold for a dollar the day before without adding the fifty cents for the drink.

"Um, so, yesterday…" Baralai starts.

Shoot. It is about the fifty cents.

"Um, I just wanted to tell you that you shouldn't take Cetan too seriously."

Oh, never mind. Cetan. Right.

"Oh," I say, mostly because I'm not sure what else _to_ say.

"He's kind of flirty," Baralai says with a slight laugh. "He sees a single girl and just snatches her up. I guess you're his latest target."

"Yeah, I figured that," I say.

"And, um, so, are you with Tidus now?" For some reason, I feel like _that's_ what he really wanted to talk to me about. Not Cetan.

"Well, no," I say. "Tidus was just rescuing me from Cetan." I try not to, but I feel a smile light my lips. Yes, Tidus rescued me and whisked me away to the back of the boat where I sat next to him for an hour and a half. Score.

Baralai nods at me understandingly. "Well, that was sweet of him."

"Yeah," I say, again because I have nothing else to say. "It was."

"Cetan was upset," Baralai says, a smile lighting his face. "And then he said that the rumors about you two must be true."

"Rumors?" I ask. Alright, so I guess I knew the team was probably talking, but I hadn't ever thought of the talk being classified as a rumor.

"About you and Tidus," Baralai says. "It's absolutely none of my business, but…"

"Nothing's going on," I say quickly. "Honestly."

"I-I-I don't need to know," Baralai just says. "I-I just…"

I laugh and he does too. I guess it is an awkward topic all around.

Things between Baralai and I feel better. It feels as though he may still feel something for me, but things are just more casual. Which is why I asked a question that had been on my mind since the bus ride the day before.

"Is it normal for interns to, um, sleep around?" I ask.

Baralai gives me a strange look, and then laughs, and says, "I don't think "normal" is the right word. But, yes, it happens."

"Often?" I question.

"Fairly," Baralai answers. "I mean, we're a farm club team, in Zanarkand of all places, and a lot of these guys are going to be future Abes, which is a big deal, so, you know, you get some girls like that."

"Um, does Cetan usually target interns?" I ask.

Baralai looks as though he's debating on what to tell me. Then, he closes his eyes, and says, "He has."

"I see," I say.

"But he's not the only one," Baralai says quickly. "A lot of the guys do. Let's just say we've been known to hire some, well, rather promiscuous girls. Cetan's not necessarily the only guy after them."

I smile, but then I remember something. Another "we—he" slip that Baralai had the day before.

"And you have, too," I say. I'm not sure where the sudden bravery came from, but somewhere, deep inside of me, I knew Baralai had targeted an intern. Or two.

Baralai looks shocked. In fact, he almost looks ghastly. As though I had just told him I was a vampire and I was about to suck his blood, or something. And his reaction, quite frankly, proves my theory.

But Baralai doesn't lie.

"Yes, I have," he answers. "When I was a blitzer."

I nod understandably. He lets out a sigh and looks at the ceiling.

"It's stupid, though," he adds. "I'm not a playboy, not like Cetan, anyway. But sometimes, you know, when everyone is telling you that you're wonderful, you start to believe it. It all goes to your head. And then add that girls are literally _throwing _themselves at you… well, eventually it gets hard to turn down the temptation."

I smile at his confession. Ah, so Baralai is a hypocrite. All this time he was saying how Tidus had the big head. But Tidus seemed to be the only one not interested in women over blitz. At least, for the time being.

But Baralai looks sad. Again. And, for some reason unknown to me, I feel sorry for him. I feel this strange little tug on my heart.

There's nothing wrong with Baralai. He's good looking, really. There's something more flashy about Cetan, but Baralai is perhaps better looking.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" I ask him. "I mean, a real girlfriend. Not just, you know."

"Um, yeah," Baralai answers. Now he's looking at me suspiciously. I bite my lip. Wow, personal hour at the ol' internship.

"Anyway," Baralai says after some silence passes, "we're doing a hospital visit today. We'll split the guys into three groups. Wakka's group, my group, and your group. And then we split up to three different hospitals in Zanarkand. Think you can handle a group of eight guys?"

"Sure," I say with a shrug. "How hard can it be? They just go visit with sick kids, right?"

"Yeah, it's pretty easy. They know what to do. But, um, some of them are going to be hung over. It's typical."

"Oh," I answer.

Baralai smiles, and says, "I made sure Tidus is in your group. Cetan's in mine."

For some reason, Baralai's sudden support shocks me.

"But—," I start, but Baralai cuts me off.

"You can thank me later," he says. "Anyway, there's some letters that need stuffed. Meet us all in front at eleven."

"Okay," I answer. I want to ask him so much. I want to ask him why he suddenly seems supportive of a relationship between Tidus and I. But I don't. I simply sit down at my desk and begin my task, wishing time would speed up.

Wakka splits us into the groups and hands out the nametags. The guys look a little confused as to how I'm leading the group. I'm not sure if it's because I'm nothing but an intern or if it's because I'm a girl. Turns out, though, from what I can figure, my group consists of all rookies, and then Tidus.

I watch as Tidus' name gets called off. He gives his little posse of veteran players a strange look, and then an eye roll, and then runs over to Wakka, smiles charmingly, takes his nametag, and comes over to our group.

He looks at all of the rookies, who seem to be looking back at him in awe, and then looks at me, but only fleetingly. Then, he turns around so he's not facing me. I can't help but wonder if this is on purpose.

"Alright, Yuna, you have the Zanarkand Children's Hospital, which is just right around the corner, so no need for you to take da bus. Just walk in dere, tell dem you're from the Wasps, and dey'll take it from dere. 'Kay?"

"Yup, thanks Wakka," I say. I turn to my group then, and realize that at least two of the rookies are, as Baralai warned, hung over. I close my eyes.

"Alright guys, this way," I say, starting toward the door.

The rookies all follow me, almost as though they're following their kindergarten teacher to the bathroom. I look behind me, though, and see that Tidus is still standing there, texting something on his phone. I decide to ignore him. He can catch up later.

Sure enough, after we've walked a block toward the hospital, I see Tidus, trailing. His hands are stuffed absentmindedly in his pocket, and he's looking at everything. He's looking up at the sky. He's looking at some buildings in the distance. I roll my eyes and face forward. It's as though he's purposely avoiding me.

We walk into the neat hospital, and I walk up to the receptionist. I don't even have to tell her who we are.

"You must be the Wasps!" she says, smiling happily. I notice she looks at all of the players' faces excitedly, and stops momentarily on Tidus', being that he had just walked in the door. "Follow me, please."

She leads us through a back door, and then, into a large room that is painted in wondrous pastel colors. There are toys all around. I know we're in the children's wing.

The rookies all seem to disperse themselves. They seem nervous. I realize it's probably their first hospital visit.

Suddenly, I notice someone standing next to me. I look quickly, and see that Tidus is standing there, staring at a door in front of us. He looks strangely thoughtless.

"Hey," I offer.

He looks at me, almost as though he didn't know he was standing next to me, and then takes a deep breath.

"Hey," he says.

I'm about to open my mouth to ask him how he's doing, or, I don't know, something, but the door that he was so fixated on suddenly opens, and out comes a nice, motherly looking woman, who is holding hands with two small children.

Tidus' face instantly breaks into a smile. It's so shocking, actually. I realize I have never really seen him smile so brightly. It's as if the whole room lights up. I almost ask him if something's wrong.

But then he moves forward, away from me, and kneels down in front of the two children, one who is sucking on his thumb.

"Hey," Tidus says. "I'm Tidus. What's your name?"

The children look at him with wide, curious eyes, and then mumble their names.

"Do you guys like blitzball?" Tidus asks.

They both nod.

"Well, I have two autographed min-blitzballs for you. Signed by the whole Zanarkand Wasps team." Still smiling, he pulls out two small blitzballs, and I can see signatures in gold.

The kids take them, still looking at Tidus with awe.

Tidus calls out to the rookies then, who slowly approach. They seem scared. But Tidus seems to know what he's doing. The blitzers split into groups of two then, and disappear into different rooms. Only Tidus is left there.

"Yuna, come with me," he says, giving me a quick wave with his hand. He starts off then, so I walk quickly to catch up with him. We go toward the furthest room, but before entering, Tidus stops me.

"This is where the…" he pauses, "terminally ill children are. Um, just so you know."

"Oh," I say.

"I didn't think the rookies could handle it as well as you could."

"Oh," I say again. Then, Tidus gives me a small smile, and opens the door.

He walks in, his smile as bright and wonderful as before. I follow him, feeling a little numb. There are kids in hospital beds, and Tidus walks up to the first bed, and asks the kid his name. But he can't talk. A hospital assistant comes, and hands Tidus a blitzball, a full sized one. He signs it. And then he twirls it on his finger. I see the kid's eyes light up.

He goes to every bed. I take the blitzballs from the assistant and walk over to his side to offer him them. He signs them, and hands them to every kid, spinning the ball on his finger before he hands it to them.

He talks to them. He asks them if they like blitzball. He asks them what they want to be when they grow up. When he asks that question, I feel my heart sink a little. These kids won't grow up. But Tidus listens as they tell them their unreachable dreams. His eyes sparkle as he listens, and if he feels any sort of remorse, he doesn't show it.

"You can be anything you want," he says, spinning the ball. "When I was little, I wanted to be a professional blitzball player. So I worked really hard. And you guys can do the same."

I feel like he's making a false promise to them. They can't. They're in hospital beds. But his smile is so bright, and his words seem so true. I can feel as though the children feel as though anything is possible. They laugh and smile. He bounces the ball on his head, causing some of the kids to clap their hands together.

He laughs. He smiles. He gently pounds his fists against theirs, and their eyes light up. For the time that Tidus is there, those kids forget that anything is wrong.

I know, because I too, am forgetting that anything is wrong. The light emitting from Tidus' smile seems to soak right into me.

Finally, it's time to go. Tidus stays five minutes longer than he's supposed to. I'm sure the rest of the rookies are already out of their rooms, waiting to leave. Tidus talks to the assistant and tells her that he'll make sure Wakka gives free tickets for any of the children to attend a Wasps game.

"And when I'm with the Abes," I hear him say, "I'll get two tickets every night. Maybe more. And every ticket will go to whoever can make it."

Finally, Tidus says goodbye to the children, and walks toward me, since I'm standing by the door.

His smile has shrunk slightly, and he raises his eyebrows at me.

I give him a meek smile in return.

He says a farewell once again, and opens the door, holding it for me. I smile again at him, and walk quickly through. I hear him shut the door behind me, but as I go to head back into the reception room, I notice that Tidus hasn't moved. He's still standing by the door to their room.

I turn around and notice that he's crying.

"Tidus?" I say.

"Just, I just…" he looks up at me, his eyes especially crystal with the tears in them. "Just give me a second."

I nod, and sure enough, Tidus quickly rubs at his eyes, and then looks as though he never cried. Then, he walks up to me, puts his hand on my back—which, of course, causes my back to go numb—and says, "Alright, let's go."

Tidus walks by me as we head back. We're leading the rookies, who all seem a little quieter than they were. They're talking softly amongst themselves as we walk.

"You were, really sweet in there," I finally manage, now that Tidus and I are alone again. Semi-alone, anyway.

Tidus doesn't answer for a while, and I begin to wonder if I said something wrong. Maybe it's too touchy of a subject?

Finally, he nods, and says, "I try to be, you know, since, they really look up to me, and stuff. I don't know why they do. Just because I play blitzball doesn't mean I'm a good guy, you know."

"Well, blitzball players are kind of like heroes, I guess, you know, because you go out there and…" I'm not really sure what I'm saying. "Well, you represent Zanarkand, you know. So you go out there and try to win. For Zanarkand. For everyone."

"I guess you're right," Tidus says. "I just feel bad, you know. Every year, it's all new kids."

I feel my heart drop again.

"Well, for today, Tidus, you made them forget," I say. "And I think, even though it's just a matter of forgetting, you made them feel good."

"You think?"

"Yeah. I know, because you made me feel good, too." I smile at him. "You have this way of making even the most hopeless things seem… worth it."

He doesn't say anything, but that's okay, because we're back at the stadium. The rookies seem to snap back and run ahead.

"We gotta go sign some stuff," Tidus says then. With that, he runs ahead with the rest of his teammates. I watch him go, wondering why he just said that to me.

And with that, I follow them, walking though, of course, into a big room that the guys often use for out-of-the-sphere practice. There are tables that have been set up for a while, with multiple blitzballs and jerseys that need signed. I notice Baralai's group is already back, but Baralai is nowhere to be found.

I decide to head back to the office to find Baralai, but I suddenly feel and arm slink its way around my waist. Not around my shoulders, but around my waist.

It's, of course, Cetan.

"Hey!" he greets me, spinning me around so I'm facing him. I blush at the close proximity in which he is holding me.

"Um, hey," I say. I look at his wonderful, tan, smiling face.

"So, um, I don't know if you know about this, but there's a kind of, end of camp party thing we have in two days. I was wondering if you would like to go as my escort."

"Um—," I start, but Cetan doesn't give me a chance to finish.

"I know Baralai said there's rules against that kind of thing, but he's just being dumb. It's normal for interns to be invited. And, I'd be honored if you came with me."

"I…" I'm not sure what to say. I try to glance over Cetan's shoulder to see if Tidus is there, but Cetan is too tall. I can't see around him.

"Well?" Cetan says. He's so cute. His smile is so wonderful, so white, so perfect. But then I think about Tidus' smile at the hospital. I shake my head. What's to debate?

"What about Leblanc?" I ask. "You know, your girlfriend?"

"Leblanc?" Cetan says, as though he's never heard that name in his life. "Oh, um, don't worry about her."

"But she's your girlfriend."

"Not really," Cetan says, shaking his head. He's looking at me so intensely. I realize he's looking at me the way I've always wished Tidus would.

It's hard to tell myself that Cetan is just playing me. It really, really is.

Which is why, I guess, I didn't do anything when Cetan suddenly leaned in toward me, until his lips met mine. In fact, I even played along. I tilted my head so that our noses wouldn't hit, and I closed my eyes. And, I guess, with Tidus' words in the back of my head, I didn't pucker as much.

"Say you'll go with me?" Cetan says, his big, brown eyes wide in anticipation.

I find myself nodding.

"Good," he says. He gives me a hug, one that I kind of return, and then starts off. As soon as he's no longer blocking my view, though, I see Tidus standing there, staring at me, his mouth slightly agape.

I stare back at him, unsure of what else to do.

His eyes are wide. He looks as though I had just full-out made out with Cetan or something. Like he's utterly disgusted.

Finally, Tidus shakes his head at me, and says, "I can't believe you just _kissed_ Cetan."

I feel my blood boil in my veins. True, a few days ago, I had promised that I would make Tidus jealous. But back then, the plan had involved Baralai. I had never expected Cetan to suddenly maneuver himself into the picture. And now that Tidus was standing there, looking angry, I suddenly felt angry, too.

_It's none of your business, Tidus, _my head screams. I notice that no one else is in the room anymore. It's just me and Tidus.

I stare at him hard, and then turn on my heel. I need to get back to the office.

"Wait," Tidus calls after me.

I stop, and turn slowly around to face him again.

"What?" I ask.

"Did you just tell him you'll go to the end of the year party with him?" Tidus cries. He's squinting his eyes at me, as though he can't stand to look at me.

He's making me feel like crap. And I hate it.

Finally, I take a deep breath, and say, "Why shouldn't I be allowed to go. You told me I should go with someone. Why shouldn't I be able to kiss him?"

"You shouldn't kiss him because he has a girlfriend," Tidus says, his voice loud. I almost wish he would calm himself down. I don't understand why he's so angry. Although, he does have a point. I _know_ Cetan has a girlfriend.

But I'm not going to let Tidus win this argument. I square my shoulders, and say, "I can do whatever I want." I guess that's my way of telling Tidus it's none of his business.

Tidus glares at me. "You shouldn't kiss guys when you like someone else."

Now I'm especially angry. I close my eyes and open my mouth to say something, but I know I can't say that I'm tired of him confusing me and leading me along only to let me go the last second. He's had his chance. He's had his chance all summer.

"The guy I like doesn't like me back," I finally say.

Tidus looks at me hard. But I can see his face soften very slightly. _Very slightly._

He swallows then.

"How do you know he doesn't like you back."

My mouth drops. Yes, it literally flies open. I blink a few times. _Okay, wow, was that real?_

I know I have to play it cool, though.

"You obviously don't know who I like."

Tidus takes a step toward me. He's looking at me suspiciously, though, and he still looks angry. I almost want to turn and run for Baralai's office. But I stay seeded.

"I know who you like," he says, his voice coming out strong.

I hope he can't hear my heartbeat. I hope he can't tell that it's beating a million miles per hour. I hope he doesn't know that I'm about to hyperventilate and pass out.

_Play it cool… Play it cool…_

But he still looks angry.

But my mind is blank. I can't think of anything to say.

Luckily, I don't have to say anything.

He wraps his arms around my waist, and before I can even _begin_ to comprehend what is happening and worry about my back going numb again, his lips touch mine.


	17. Damsel in Distress

Hey everybody! Sorry for the delay! I was on a mini vacation. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. My current 'thing' is steamy. I like steamy stuff. So I tried to make this chapter steamy, but not steamy, if that makes any sense. Basically I've been watching a lot of subtle steamy stuff lately and I wanted to write something like that. Or something. I don't know. Ignore my babble. Anyway, enjoy!

**Chapter 17: Damsel in Distress**

My arms wrap themselves around his shoulders, pulling him closer. I don't know what I'm doing. I can't feel any of my body. I hope I'm not slobbering. Or drooling. Or, I don't know.

I'm kissing Tidus. I'm talking _kissing_. Bold. Italicized. Underlined. We're kissing. Capitals. WE'RE KISSING.

It's all my brain is saying. We're kissing. We're kissing. We're kissing. I don't think I've properly gotten the point across. WE'RE KISSING.

My heart, which has been pounding for a while now, floats its way up through my neck, and I swear it goes right into my head, poisoning my brain. I'm high. _High_.

What just happened between Cetan and I melts from my brain. I didn't think that could be possible. That I could kiss someone and then have him melt away from me so quickly.

I don't want to stop. I never, ever, ever want to stop. And for a while, it seems as though we won't stop.

But, eventually, we pull apart. I'm not sure why, but I immediately feel a little awkward. Maybe it's because we just passionately kissed for quite some time for reasons completely unknown to me. I quickly tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, and I can feel my cheeks burning red.

Tidus seems as though he cannot believe what just happened. He's staring at me, almost blankly. We're still close. Very close. But, you know, since I can't feel my body, it doesn't seem strange to be that close. I'm sure I could feel his breath, if, you know, I could feel.

He's still looking at me.

Finally, he brushes his hair back with his hand, lets it fall back into his face, and says, "Um, I…"

He seems speechless. Tidus is speechless. Over me.

Everything seems surreal. I suddenly wonder if I'm dreaming. Is _that_ why I can't feel anything?

He brushes his hair back again. I'm starting to think it's a nervous habit.

Tidus is nervous. Around me.

Finally, he manages, "I should go."

Of course, that's not what I want to hear. But what can I say? I simply nod my okay.

He looks, however, as though he wants to say something else. As though he's trying hard to decide whether he should say it or not. I feel like telling him I desperately want to hear whatever he's going to say.

Instead, he gives me a small smile, and turns around and walks out the door, rather quickly. I watch him leave, and then, I suddenly feel as though I'm going to fall over. I suppose it's because I realize I can't feel my legs.

And then, appearing right where Tidus had disappeared, is Baralai. He's giving me a strange look. A strange, but calm look. As though something he's been waiting for has finally happened. I suppose I look the same. After all, I had been waiting—dreaming!—of that moment, and finally—finally!—it had happened.

But now that it was over, now that feeling was beginning to return to my body, I suddenly felt sad. That was it. It had happened. But it hadn't happened the way I had expected it to happen. Tidus had come, Tidus had kissed me, and now, Tidus had left. Who was to say if we would ever kiss again?

But I decided not to dwell on it. There was no point. Tidus had kissed me. That was what I wanted. That was what I got.

Baralai finally speaks.

"So," he says, "um, Tidus, and, um, you."

"Yeah," I say with a shrug.

"But the guys told me Cetan kissed you," I realize now that Baralai looks confused.

"He did," I answer quickly. "And then Tidus did. I guess I must have made him jealous, or something."

"But you kissed Cetan?"

"Yes, I kissed Cetan." It hit me then that me kissing Cetan was what had Baralai confused. Not that I had kissed Tidus.

"And you accepted his invite to the end-of-camp party."

"Oh, yeah," I say, and I look down. I had forgotten all about that. All about Cetan. All about the stupid party.

"So, who are you going to go with?" Baralai asks. He crosses his arms. Now he's reminding me of my father. Or, something.

"I don't know," I say with a shrug.

"Do you like Cetan?"

"You know the answer to that," I can't help but shoot him a glare.

"Well, you kissed him and accepted his invitation. So I'm getting confused."

I close my eyes. "Me too," I finally admit. I'm not going to admit it, but seriously, things would have been easier if I had just chosen Baralai.

Walking back to the hotel, I find it hard to think. Most of my body has regained feeling, but my lips are still numb. I can't help but put my finger up to them, in an attempt to make sure they're still there. I think they are. I can't tell for sure.

I feel like I'm walking on air—literally. My conversation with Baralai melts with every step I take, and my brain goes back to the kiss. And no, not the kiss with Cetan. The kiss with Tidus. Can I just say that again? Kiss. With. Tidus.

But something's pulling on my heart. I suppose I don't like the way Tidus just ran off, without talking. But what was there to talk about? I look at the ground as I walk. I guess maybe I was expecting him to want to talk. Maybe I was expecting him to ask me out. Or, something. Sure, I had kissed him, but that was it. That could be it.

I guess, thinking that, I could feel myself beginning to believe it. I was even beginning to panic. Maybe that really was all there was. A kiss and then nothing.

But all of that faded when I walk into the hotel. Because, sitting there, staring at the floor as though in deep thought, is Tidus.

I almost drop my handbag right off of my shoulder, and I stare at him. I feel my heart begin to speed. Then, without even thinking, I walk in front of him, and say, "Hey."

He looks up at me, almost as if in slow motion. Then, he gives me a nod, and says, "Hey."

Now I feel nervous. I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Um, what's up?"

He shifts in his seat and then looks up at me.

"I was waiting for you," he answers.

"Oh," I say. What else am I supposed to say? I feel my heart speed up again.

"You wanna, um, meet me at the restaurant here in like ten minutes?" he says.

"Yeah, sure," I say.

"Alright." He stands up then, gives me what appears to be a small, quick smile, and starts off toward the stairs. Not wanting to be too close, I wait a few seconds, and then hurry to my room. As soon as I'm safely in my room, I begin to panic. First I'm kissing Tidus, and now I'm about to go to dinner with him. I rush into the bathroom and try to make myself look at least a little more presentable. Then, even though I don't really need to, I completely redo my makeup, this time adding a little bit more than I usually do.

And then, of course, I realize I have nothing to wear. All I really have are work outfits. I rush to my bureau and start digging through it. I have to have something.

I finally find a pair of nice black jeans that I had brought from home but had never worn them because I was worried they weren't professional enough. I throw those on and then add my favorite shirt, which I dumb down with a simple black cardigan.

I slip on a pair of black flats, mess with my hair a little bit more, grab my handbag, and then, I'm out the door. Exactly ten minutes have passed.

I rush toward the restaurant, but force myself to slow. I don't want to look like I had rushed at all. I try to act calm as I go into the elevator. I try to act even calmer as the doors open and I see the restaurant in front of me. But it's getting harder and harder to put on the act.

I finally take a deep breath and walk toward it. As I start toward it, I notice Tidus is also walking toward it, coming from the opposite direction. He raises his eyebrows at me when he sees me, but otherwise, his expression is nearly impossible to read.

We meet right at the restaurant, but he says nothing. Instead, he walks into the restaurant and says, "A table for two, please."

We're taken to a seat by a window with a wondrous view of the arena, and given menus. Then, it's just Tidus and I.

"Have you eaten here before?" Tidus asks me.

"I usually just have the food delivered to my room," I answer.

"Same here," Tidus says. "It gets kind of expensive, though."

We're just making small talk. My heart starts pounding again. I want to jump straight to the question that's been burning deep within me for nearly an hour. _Why did you kiss me?_

I know I can't keep the question inside of me for much longer. It's literally going to pop out of me, just as I feel my heart is about to.

Luckily, Tidus seems to notice by my silence that I'm not in the mood for small talk.

"So, um…" he starts, and I feel my body tense as I wait to hear what he's going to say, "have you tried their pasta?"

I want to kick him. I think he notices the glare I accidentally shoot his way. I'm honestly trying to keep my emotions intact, but it's getting hard.

"No, I have not tried their pasta," I answer, and I lift my menu so my face is covered. _Ugh, I feel like crying._

We're silent for some time. I decide to study the menu to keep myself from doing or saying anything I'll regret.

The waiter comes then, and takes our order. I can't decide if I'm relieved or not that our menus are taken from us. Now he has nothing to hide behind. But, now I have nothing to hide behind either.

Tidus must notice this as well, for he takes a deep breath, and says, "So, um, this afternoon was kind of… weird, huh?"

"Yeah, it was a little odd," I say, glad that we're _finally_ talking about it.

"I guess you want an explanation, right?" Tidus asks me. He looks sheepish.

All I can do is nod.

"Well," Tidus begins, and he leans over onto the table, so that he's closer, and he looks right into my eyes—an act that is both marvelous because I can feel the honesty pouring out of him, and terrifying, because he looks so intense that I'm worried about what he's going to say, "when we went to the hospital, I realized something. Life is really, really short. It could end at any given moment. Bam. It's over. I could die tomorrow. I could die in the next minute. So, I don't want to waste any of it feeling sorry for myself or being an ass or, you know, anything like that. And then, when I saw Cetan kiss you… I felt…"

Tidus trails and looks away from me as though he's trying to find the right word.

"Jealous," he finally says. "I felt so jealous. It was like burning inside of me. First of all, I couldn't believe you let that slime ball kiss you, and—."

I open my mouth to cut him off, but he ignores me, and continues quickly.

"—inside of my stomach, I felt this terrible, terrible feeling. Like I wanted to kill someone or something. I wanted to jump on Cetan and choke him to death. Or, something. And then I saw how defeated you looked when he was finally done placing his damn charm on you. And then, I guess, I realized that I was being stupid." He stops then, and looks up at him, his blue eyes seeming to be reaching inside of me. "And then, I realized that I wanted you."

Okay. Wow. I really was trying to remain skeptical and unbiased and all that nonsense, but I hadn't expected him to put it _that frankly_. I hadn't been expecting that at all.

He's looking at me. Those blue eyes apparently analyzing me, as though he's trying to figure out my response before I give it to him. But, in all honesty, I don't know how to respond. I hope he can't sniff out my fear like it seems he could. I swallow.

"Oh," is all I can manage.

And he doesn't let me get away with it.

"Oh? That's all you can say?" he says. He seems shocked. I wonder if he was expecting me to jump the table and lunge myself onto him or something.

"I'm not sure what else to say," I simply say, slowly.

"You can say "I want you, too."'

Whoa. Could it be that easy?

"Well," I start, mostly because I'm panicking and I'm afraid I'm going to hyperventilate at any moment, "I, um, I…" Okay, I want to say that I want him, too. But the words won't come out. They're stuck in my heart. I realize it's because it's not something I would say. I try to think of a different way to word it, but the English language has momentarily jumped ship.

"Please tell me you're just speechless." I'm not sure if that's a joke or not.

"Tidus," I finally manage, "I really, really like you. Kind of a lot." Okay, am I freaking him out? I try to watch his expressions to gauge how he's feeling.

To my surprise, he smiles, and says, "Just "kind of" a lot?"

I laugh and so does he. Laughing makes me feel better. A lot better, actually.

With a smile still on my face, I say, "Alright, I like you a lot."

"So you like me a lot…" Tidus says slowly. "Does that mean we're like… I don't know… a couple or something?"

Okay, now he's making us "official?" I gulp despite myself. Me. And Tidus. Official. In my head, I align us like a juvenile math problem: Yuna + Tidus = COUPLE.

"I guess we could be," I say. Because, yes, I want to be. My heart is speeding again. I'm feeling numb in my arms. I hope it's not because I'm hyperventilating and don't notice.

"Great," Tidus says, and he gives me a smile. Our food arrives then, and we eat for a little while in silence. I decide to take this opportunity to try to calm my heart. Yeah, it doesn't work.

After eating for a while, Tidus suddenly rolls his eyes, and says, "But, you know, you have to go to the end of camp party with Cetan."

"What?" I say.

"You told him you would," Tidus says with a shrug. "So, I guess you have to."

"But what about his girlfriend?" I say.

"You're the girl-of-the-night."

"But I don't want to be the "girl-of-the-night,"' I say. I pout, even though I don't mean to. Is Tidus _serious_? I have to go with Cetan? "I didn't… I didn't mean to, you know, agree to go with him."

"But you did," Tidus says with a shrug. "It's okay. You can go with him. You should go with him."

"What?" I say. "But I thought…" Okay, now I'm confused.

"It's better that way," Tidus says. "Just trust me."

"Maybe Cetan will forget."

"He won't forget," Tidus says with an eye roll. "Just trust me."

"Alright," I finally say, with a nod. What else can I say?

Tidus shifts in his seat, and says, "If you tell Cetan that you're going with me instead, he's going to think it's a competition. He'll go all out to get you back."

"Why?" I ask. "Cetan can't be interested in me."

Tidus chuckles and lets out another eye roll. "Everything's a competition for Cetan. He heard you were interested in me, he became interested in you. He noticed Baralai was interested in you, he became interested in you. He's just like that."

"So, then, are you sure you're not interested in me just because Cetan is?" I raise my eyebrows at him suspiciously. But, let's be real, it is strange that he went from practically hating me to wanting to date me, all in a matter of days.

To my surprise, Tidus smiles and cocks his head.

"That's a good theory, Yuna," he says. "But that's not the case. I told you. I was _jealous_ when I saw you with Cetan. Even on the boat. If I didn't care, I would have just let you be sucked into his stupid little trap. But instead, I rescued you. Even though I told myself I had to just let it go. Yuna, I have no personal goal or gain. Cetan, he likes to play games. But I'm not into that. Besides, Cetan's a goalie. There's no reason to compete with a goalie."

He shoots me a smile then. A small, _knowing_ smile. Like he already knows everything I'm going to ask him and already knows everything he's going to answer.

But, for some reason, I like the way he's smiling at me. I like that sense of knowing. And I like that it's directed at me.

I see a change in Tidus' eyes then. They suddenly seem softer, more thoughtful.

He shifts in his seat again and leans closer to me. "Wanna come back to my place?" he says then.

I can't help but shoot him a look that says, "Are you serious?" And I mean that in both a shocked and sarcastic way. _Is he serious?_ Believe it or not, my first thought, though, is "Ooh, if I go with him, I can find out where his room is!" (You know, since it's something I've spent the entire summer wondering.)

But is it safe? I roll my eyes. It's Tidus. He's a blitzball player. He's not going to murder me.

So, with my heart pounding, I say, "Sure."

I can tell by his reaction that he already knew I was going to say that.

He gives me a smug smile and stands up and offers his arm for me to take. Honestly, it's like a fairytale come true. I take it and look up at him, and I know my eyes are sparkling. Everything feels so _right_. I don't even know how else to explain it. It was as though my arm was made to be linked with his. It was as if things had finally aligned and I was where I wanted to be.

But I knew deep down inside it wasn't that simple.

Tidus leads me to the elevator and clicks the button for the second floor. I had always had a hunch he was on the second, but obviously I wasn't going to stalk him. Now, I can't help but grin as I feel the elevator lurch toward Tidus' floor.

The elevator dings at the second floor and opens, and I realize I've never actually been on the second floor before, except at the lounge by the stairs. The hallway is very wide, and I realize there are nice potted plants around. It's definitely nicer than my floor.

Tidus leads me to a room not far from the elevator—room 214. He inserts his key and opens the door, and leads me inside. I suppose I should have known that he didn't have a typical one-bedroom room with a bathroom. Instead, I find myself in a very, very glamorous suite.

I'm in a gorgeous living room. I'm talking _gorgeous_. There's even a piano. And something tells me Tidus doesn't even know how to play the piano. There's beautiful red leather furniture, giving the room a classy yet rustic feel. I see the kitchen off to the side, and I feel my eyebrows raise. The man even has a kitchen? And something tells me he doesn't cook. Maybe it's because from where I'm standing, I can see that the countertops are completely bare.

Tidus drops my arm and walks in and turns to me with a smile.

"Nicer than your place?" he says.

"A little," I answer with a laugh. "And by a little, I mean a lot."

Tidus gives me a small smirk and walks toward me. And then, before I can even begin to fathom what's about to happen, I'm kissing him again. Yes, again. And yes, it's marvelous.

But it's also a little… well, steamy. I can hardly keep up, but Tidus doesn't seem to care. I mean, we're kissing. Really kissing. Okay, fine, I'll just say it: we're making out. And even though I can't quite tear myself away, I know in the back of my head, all I can think is, "This is moving too fast."

Finally, my brain wins over all my desire. I pull away from him, and we both stand there, catching our breath, and I finally manage, "Um, Tidus, I, um, might not be like other girls you've dated."

Tidus brushes a stray hair out of his face and gives me an almost blank stare. Then, he shakes his head and says, "Oh, yeah, I'm… I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I say, brushing my own hair back.

He looks toward the kitchen, then, and says, "Want something to drink?"

"Sure," I answer. Let's be real. I'm parched.

He heads toward the kitchen and I follow. He walks to the refrigerator and looks in it.

"Um, I have water, water, flavored water, and more water," he says, and he shoots me a smile over his shoulder.

"I guess I'll have a water, then," I say, smiling at him.

"Flat?"

"What?"

"Do you want it flat or carbonated?"

"Oh, flat," I say, feeling immediately like an idiot.

He pulls out a bottle of water and throws it to me. I feel a moment of panic, but then relief as I manage to catch it.

"It's like all we're allowed to drink during training," Tidus says with a shrug. "Most guys don't listen. But I like water."

I can only nod. Alright, so I don't like small talk and I don't like making out. Well, I take that back. I _do_ like making out. Just not, you know, so fast and randomly.

"So tomorrow's the scrimmage against C-South," Tidus says as he takes a drink of his water. "I'm starting."

"That's awesome!" I cry, and I feel my eyes light up with my smile.

"Yeah, it is," Tidus says, and he smiles sheepishly at his open water bottle. "I couldn't believe it when Coach said my name. It's really… great."

I nod. It _is _great. I feel a sense of pride swell in my stomach. Doesn't Tidus realize what a wonderful pair we would make? I mean, I talked him up. I'm the one who pointed out how great he was. And then he backed up my words. I feel my heart float up to my head again. We are perfect for each other.

I just wish I knew if Tidus felt the same way.

"Tidus," I finally say, and I can't help but stare at the floor as I talk, just to avoid his eyes, "I can't help but feel a little confused. I mean, I know that you changed your mind or whatever, but… I don't know. I guess maybe I'm in denial that you actually…" I can't seem to spit it out. So, I close my eyes and force myself to. "That you actually _like_ me."

To this, Tidus laughs and says, "Yuna, I've _always_ liked you."

I open my mouth to say something, but Tidus interrupts.

"I'm sorry for how I acted in the beginning. But I told you, I was trying not to get involved with women. And you came and complicated things. And then… well, it's like I said. I was being stupid, Yuna. You forgive me, right?"

I speak without thinking. "Of course I forgive you."

He smiles. My heart melts.

And then we're kissing again. I don't even know how he does that. And I can't exactly deny him my kisses. How could I? It's everything I've ever dreamed of.

I have my happy ending to my fairytale story.

So why do I feel as though something is just a little off?


	18. Roses

**Oh my goodness. Hello. Hello everybody. I have no idea if anyone is still interested in reading this story, but here it is-an update. How long has it been since I updated this thing? Let's see... it's 2012 now. I think I last updated in 2009? Wow. Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if you had all given up on this story...**

**Let me give you all a quick little history in the life of "Rikku-Hoshi." I began writing this story in 2009 after I had a dream that I was interning for a minor league sports team that a certain, um, athlete that I was in love with played for. That dream inspired this fanfic.**

**So why did I give up on this story? Well, in 2010, I interned for said sports team-except not the minor league team but the major league team. Yes, I had a real-life version of Yuna's internship (although it was much, much different-obviously). It was a complete and utter dream come true.**

**Only... I didn't get the guy. The guy is now married with a kid. So after all that, I decided to give up on this story.**

**Now, its 2012. When I was first writing this, I was a sophomore in college. Now, I'm a second year law student. Yeah, you read that right-I go to flippin' law school. (And fyi, law school is awful.) Anyway, that's the shortest version of this story I can give. Trust me, you guys don't want all the gory details.**

**Anyway, with that said, I've actually gone back to this story multiple times in the last few years. This chapter literally took me two years to write; I just kept adding a sentence here and there. Then, for some unknown reason, I decided I was going to finally finish this chapter and post it. It could be another three years before I post another chapter, or it could be just a matter of days before I post a chapter. At this point, I really don't know. What I do know, though, is that there are only maybe two chapters left in this story. So I am close to finishing.**

**Also, I want to address one more thing. About a year ago, I got a review or a PM (I don't remember which) where the reader basically expressed his or her distaste with how out of character my characters are. I am very well aware that my characters have evolved from "Tidus" and "Yuna" and into my own characters-that's another reason why I basically gave up my fanfiction writing. Instead, I started writing my own novels (including turning "Combined Yards" into a novel-and I'm currently on "Combined Yards 5" (shoot me a PM if you're interested in reading the "novelized" versions; I'd LOVE some feedback)). I started writing my _own_ stories. So yes, I am very well aware that my characters are really no longer Tidus or Yuna or Baralai or whoever. And I apologize for that. Assuming I ever finish this story, it will be my last fanfic. Because that reviewer was right. I'm not writing FFX-2 fanfic anymore. I'm writing my own stories with borrowed characters.**

**Okay. I think that about does it. I am very pleased to bring you the very, very, VERY overdue chapter 18 of _The Internship._ ENJOY!**

**Chapter 18: Roses**

Tidus walks me back to my room. It's sweet, actually. He is sweet, just like I always knew he would be. Of course there was a little more kissing outside of my door. I don't know how it happens. One minute we're just talking, and then as soon as some silence falls over us, his lips are on mine.

And there's no way I'm backing off. Well, not at first, anyway.

He looks at me a little strangely when I back away from him. Like he wants to continue, and doesn't understand why I don't want to. I guess I'm still kind of trying to figure out how this has even happened. And if I'm really alive. Or, at least, awake.

"What's wrong?" he asks. I find myself looking into his eyes, searching them. I feel as though they're telling me that he _knows_ what's wrong. He's just asking to test if _I_ know what's wrong.

And of course, I have no idea what's wrong. Everything should be perfect.

I think about telling him the truth—_Well, this just feels, I don't know… forced_. But I'm afraid that if I say that, it might offend him. I finally have him right where I want him (or, well, at least sort of right where I want him) and the last thing I want is to scare him off. I suddenly realize that the problem with this little arrangement of us suddenly, out-of-nowhere, dating, is that I really still don't know him.

He must not have actually been waiting for an answer, for he suddenly takes out his phone, looks at it, smiles, and says, "See ya tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow," I say. His eyebrows raise as he spins around, and I watch as he walks back to the elevator, still on his phone. He turns to face me once he's in the elevator and gives me a small, slight wave. And then, the doors shut.

As soon as he's out of my sight, I feel myself let out a loud, long sigh. I pat my hands over my hair in an attempt to smooth it out and then walk into my room. It looks so small and bland compared to Tidus' suite.

Once I close the door behind me, I hear another sigh omit from my mouth. This time, I convince myself that it's a _dreamy_ sigh, not a sigh of confusion. And with that, I decide to get a head start on collecting news clips from rookie camp.

* * *

I realize I feel jumpy the next morning the second Baralai enters the office. He walks right past me without looking at me, which instantly sets the tone. I let out what must be the thousandth sigh since I last kissed Tidus and turn back to sorting pictures from yesterday's scrimmage. I can't help but smile every time I get to a picture of Tidus. And there are _lots_ of pictures of him.

After a while, I realize I'm no longer working. I'm simply sitting there, staring aimlessly at a picture of Tidus with his arms up in the air in celebration after scoring a goal, daydreaming about what it feels like when he kisses me. I don't notice there is anyone behind me until I hear him clear his throat.

I feel myself jump, not because I'm worried that Baralai has caught me daydreaming over a picture of Tidus, but rather because I had _completely_ forgotten that I was actually in Baralai's office and _not_ in Tidus' arms.

I quickly x-out of the picture and turn my swivel chair quickly to the side, so that I can face whoever wants to talk to me. I feel my face drop as I realize it's not Baralai, but rather Cetan.

"Hey Yuna-Tuna!" he greets me with his dazzling smile. "I brought you something."

I stared at him, blankly, wondering to myself why Cetan would bring me something. And that's when I remember—just yesterday—just _the day before_—I had agreed to be Cetan's date for the end-of-camp party _and_ had kissed him. I tried to remember if it had been more like Cetan kissing me, but the memory was foggy.

Cetan's face wrinkles in slight confusion and I realize I feel confused as to _his_ confusion, before realizing that he's probably wondering why I've been sitting there, staring blankly at him for who-knows-how-long.

"Oh, oh, great," I say, not sure if that's even a proper reaction.

It passes, though, because Cetan's flawless smile is back on his face and he's pulling three roses from behind his back.

I feel my face fall in, well, delight. The roses are _beautiful_.

"Wow, thanks," I hear myself breathe as I take them from Cetan. I glance around the office for a vase. Of course, there were none.

"Glad you like them," Cetan says, looking very satisfied with himself. "So what color dress are you wearing for the big party? I figure I'll match my tie." He smiles again. Even now, his smile makes me feel dizzy. The smell of the roses isn't helping any.

My first instinct is to set the roses aside, straighten my shoulders, and explain to him that I'm actually with _Tidus_ now, so I won't be going to the dance with him. But I remember what Tidus had said to me at dinner the night before—he had said that I should still go with Cetan.

Normally, I would be very able to say that I don't _want_ to go to the party with Cetan. But, looking at him, seeing his eyes on mine, it's a little harder to admit. I look down at the roses and even feel myself shrug. Hey, I get to date Tidus _and_ spend a lovely evening with the seemingly perfect Cetan. What's the harm in that?

So, I shrug and say, "I'm not sure yet."

I suddenly feel myself looking past Cetan. Somehow, I had forgotten that Baralai was still in the office. Sure enough, I see that his back is to us, being that he's on his computer, looking through something. I can tell by the way he's clicking his mouse that he's angry. Again, I feel a little bit of pity toward him.

Cetan notices I'm looking at Baralai, for he suddenly spins away from me and walks up to Baralai.

"And who are you going to the party with?" Cetan asks, clamping his hand onto Baralai's shoulder in what I'm assuming was meant to be a friendly way. But there was no denying that Baralai totally jumped.

"Oh, um, probably no one," Baralai says. He stays focused on whatever is on his computer screen.

"Aw, come on," Cetan says. "There's gotta be someone. Look, I'll hook you up with someone. Let's see…" Cetan pulls out his phone and is apparently going through his contacts. "What about Elma? You know, that chick I saw a few months ago."

Baralai answers with a small shrug.

"Dude, what's your deal?" Cetan just asks, putting his phone back in his pocket. "Anyway, I gotta go. Thank God today's the last day of scrimmages."

He walks out then, smiling at me once more as he leaves. As soon as he shuts the door behind him, Baralai suddenly turns quickly to face me.

"So who are you going with?" he asks, his tone sounding somewhat forced, as though he wants to ask, but at the same time doesn't want to ask.

"I guess Cetan," I say with a small shrug."

"Okay, and what about Tidus?" Baralai asks.

I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to say anything—especially to Baralai, my supervisor—but I find myself looking up from the roses and shrugging.

"Tidus and I are kind of dating now," I say, my voice smaller than I was expecting it to be.

"What?" Baralai says, standing up and walking over to me. "You're _dating_? Tidus doesn't date!" I realize Baralai looks angry.

"Well, we are," I just say, unsure of what else to say. I hadn't exactly expected Baralai's reaction. I had expected him to maybe appear disappointed or shocked, but not angry!

"What about Cetan?" Baralai was now demanding, and he even picked up one of the roses that was on my desk.

I realized this conversation was just going in circles. First it was what about Tidus, now what about Cetan. And I knew that once I gave my answer to the what about Cetan question, it would go back to, but what about Tidus?

And eventually, it would get to, "_What about me, Yuna? What about _me?"

So I answer as calmly and efficiently as I could think to answer.

"Cetan asked me to the party, so I'm going to the party with him. But I'm dating Tidus."

Baralai's eyes go to the roses.

"Cetan's crazy about you," he says.

"He has a girlfriend," I say dismissively. I've turned back to the computer, only to blush when I realize the picture of Tidus is still up on my screen.

"Leblanc is replaceable," Baralai says.

I minimize the picture of Tidus and spin around in my chair.

"Are you telling me that you think Cetan wants to _date_ me?" I ask.

Baralai nods.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," he says. "And do you know why?"

I shake my head.

Baralai suddenly comes close to me. I feel my eyes widen as he puts his hand over mine on my computer mouse. He goes to the window I had just minimized, and suddenly Tidus' picture is taking over the screen again.

"That's why," Baralai says, removing his hand from mine.

I feel frozen. I even feel panicked. But I have no idea why I'm feeling any of these feelings. All I can do is look at the picture of Tidus, his arms in the air, his eyes closed, his nose scrunched. And a huge smile on his face.

"I don't get it," I mutter, minimizing the picture again.

"It's all about competition for both of them," Baralai simply says. He goes back to his desk, and practically falls into his chair. As if he's exhausted.

He lets out a loud sigh and then turns his chair so he's facing me. He's slumped back against the big leather back of the chair, his eyes on me. His head is shaking from side-to-side slowly.

"Yuna, I don't want this to come off the wrong way, and I don't want to make you upset or sad, but I want you to be careful. I mean, when did Tidus start coming onto you? When he noticed Cetan flirting with you?"

I open my mouth to tell Baralai that, first of all, it's absolutely none of his business, and second of all, no, no that's not true at all, but then I feel my mouth close.

I spin back around to my computer and maximize the picture on my screen. I quickly drag the file into the folder titled "TIDUS" and continue sorting the pictures. But my mind is rushing and I'm barely focusing on the work.

As much as I wish I could deny it, I know Baralai's right. Tidus really didn't start coming onto me until Cetan was. I found myself going through every single time I was with Tidus. The time at the golf course—he had seen me with Cetan. I tried to think of Cetan had been flirting with me, but it seemed unlikely; after all, Leblanc had been there. But had Baralai been flirting with me? Yes. Baralai had. And I had already established that Tidus was jealous of Baralai.

I suddenly feel like I have a headache. Is it Baralai or is it Cetan that Tidus is trying to get at?

No. No, that's not it at all. I realize I'm clicking angrily, just as Baralai had been doing earlier. My eyes go to the roses, whose smell is still making me feel dizzy. And nauseous.

With one swipe, I wipe the roses off my desk and into the garbage.

I notice Baralai sees my actions. But, he simply glances at me, and then turns to his own computer. We spend the rest of the morning working in silence.

* * *

Baralai lets me watch the scrimmage, but only after muttering, "But don't talk to the GMs. Got it?"

I take my usual seat, blushing when I notice the GMs are looking at me and laughing. I don't bother wondering what they're saying about me. I really don't care about them. I have enough trouble with the men connected to the Abes as it is.

The players come out, and it's actually Cetan who catches my eye first. He swims out quickly, taking long strokes through the sphere. Without meaning to, I catch his eye.

He winks.

I feel heat grow onto my cheeks and I even stand up to go to the bathroom, but then I see Tidus. I sit hastily back down, eager to watch him play, as I always am. I even expect him to catch my eye and maybe wink as well. But he focuses straight ahead, as though there is no one in the audience.

_Good_, I think to myself. _At least Tidus is focused._

With that, I lean back in my chair, hoping that the scrimmage will clear my head. But it doesn't. Instead of watching Tidus, I find myself glancing over at Cetan. He really is an attractive guy. He's much taller than Tidus, much _stronger_ than Tidus.

I shake my head. What am I doing? I search for Tidus, but he's currently on the bench, talking to his coach. I watch him as he nods, his eyes intent on the coach, apparently receiving some sort of orders for the scrimmage. And then my eyes go back to Cetan.

No. There's no comparison.

Or at least, that's what I tell myself.

Finally, I let out a defeated sigh. I truly thought that once I was with Tidus, everything would be just like it's supposed to be. No more Baralai, and no more Cetan. I curse myself. It's my fault, after all, for not only agreeing to go to the party with Cetan, but also for kissing him. Why had I done that? Why had I done something so foolish?

I sit up straight. I decide right then and there that when I see Tidus, I am going to tell him that I'm not going to the party with Cetan. I _can't_ go with Cetan. I don't care what Cetan thinks.

Besides, if this whole stupid thing is really Tidus trying to get at Cetan or Baralai, then why would Tidus want me to go to the party with Cetan?

I finally find myself able to pay attention to the scrimmage. But after a while, I feel confused. Tidus is playing really, really _sloppily_. And by that, I mean his shots on goal are really sloppy. He kicks the ball so hard that most of the time it doesn't even get to Cetan. But he just gets the ball again and hits it as hard as he can toward Cetan.

But Cetan looks sloppy too. He dives too much for Tidus' shots even when Tidus' shots are nowhere near him. At one point, Cetan even makes what would be a flashy move, except Tidus' shot isn't on net and Cetan ends up slamming himself into his own goal post.

Really, they're both playing in a very embarrassing manner. I can't help but look down at the GMs, who are all shaking their head in disgust.

Finally, Tidus gets the ball and he sends it toward the net with a flashy spin-move, a move more similar to his usual shooting style. And this one not only is actually on net, it even slips past Cetan, who had taken yet another over-dramatic dive.

Cetan, once he realizes the ball went into the net, grabs the ball and throws it hard at Tidus, who manages to catch it, but not with ease. In fact, the force from Cetan's throw causes Tidus to be pushed back in the water. I feel myself squint. Tidus is laughing. Cetan is full-out throwing a tantrum.

"What is going on with those two?" I hear the GMs say.

And that's when I realize it. Tidus and Cetan are personally battling each other. But why?

Somehow, I think I know the answer to that question.

I realize I can't watch anymore. I don't know _what_ it is that's going on between Tidus and Cetan, but I know that I don't like it. I had never witnessed any _real_ animosity between them before. Not like this. And it's not like Tidus knows that Cetan gave me flowers! And it's not like Cetan knows I'm technically dating Tidus right now!

I walk back to my office, unsure of where else to go. Baralai spins around, apparently shocked that I am back.

"Scrimmage isn't over yet," he says, looking at his watch. "There's still twenty minutes."

I plop down in my chair and turn on my computer. I don't know what to say to Baralai. I hope he's not looking for me to say something. Of course, I don't get off that easy, as Baralai says, "Yuna, why are you back?"

I let out a loud sigh and say, "Cetan and Tidus are both playing like idiots out there."

Baralai lets out a snort.

"What, Tidus is sucking it up so you don't want to watch?"

I spin my chair around so fast that I almost lose my balance.

"Tidus is playing just fine," I say. "He's been getting practically every rebound."

"Rebound?" Baralai asks. "Cetan doesn't give off that many rebounds…"

"Well, he is today," I say, crossing my arms angrily. "They're both playing like idiots. Tidus is slamming the ball as hard at Cetan as he can and Cetan is making ridiculous moves, like he's trying to be really flashy or something. It's like they're competing against each other."

"Don't think about it too much," Baralai says, turning so that he's now looking at his computer. "They always go at it."

"No they don't," I point out quickly. "I've never seen them act like this."

Baralai makes a "psh" sound.

But then, Baralai suddenly freezes—I'm talking _noticeably_ freezes. One second he's back on his computer, typing, and all of a sudden his shoulders bunch up and his fingers stop moving, almost as if he's about to have a seizure or something. Before I can even think about what he's doing, he suddenly spins around. He lets out a sigh and looks at me, his chocolate eyes on mine.

"Look, Yuna, there's something I have to tell you—"

At that moment, the door suddenly bursts open, and in walks Wakka, his face about as red as his hair.

"Baralai, I need you right now," he says.

"What's up?" Baralai asks, looking worried.

Wakka shakes his head, as if to say there's not time to explain (that or he's too out of breath to speak), but then he sees me.

"Yuna, I might need your help too," he says.

Baralai looks at me, shrugs, and stands up. I stand up as well and follow the two out the door.

"Seriously Wakka, what's up?" Baralai asks as we follow him, walking swiftly down the hallway.

Wakka stops then, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Cetan and Tidus got in a fight."

"What?" it's me who cries this, my voice high-pitched and full of emotion.

Baralai shoots me a glare (which I don't appreciate) and then says, "What do you mean, they got in a fight?"

Wakka continues walking. We follow. But I am definitely trailing now.

"I have no idea what started it or what dey were doing, but Tidus scored a second time on Cetan and Cetan just jumped 'im. Tidus threw da first punch, dough. Got Cetan right in da nose. Obviously dis angered Cetan, so Cetan punched back. And then dey were full-out fighting. Cetan's got a broken nose and Tidus is missing a tooth. Both of 'em have black eyes."

I felt myself stop. Tidus lost a tooth? And had a black eye? And Cetan's nose was broken? Strangely enough, I figured Tidus would still be attractive without a tooth, but picturing Cetan's perfect nose with a bump in it made me feel a little sad.

"Um, maybe I should, um, go back to the office," I hear myself saying.

To my surprise, Baralai suddenly looks at me, a shocked expression on his face, almost as if he had forgotten I was there.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," he says, nodding at me.

I simply nod back. Then, somewhat hesitantly, I turn around and go back to the office.

* * *

Time seems to move too slowly. It's been a full half-hour since I left Wakka and Baralai, but it feels like hours have passed.

Finally, just as I was really beginning to grow restless, Baralai walks in.

"Hey," he says, giving me a small smile.

"Hey," I say, feeling myself sit straight up in my chair, as if at attention.

"So, Wakka definitely made it sound like it was worse than it was," Baralai says quickly. "Cetan and Tidus are both fine."

"I figured that," I say. "I mean, they're both pretty tough guys."

"Yeah."

"So where are they now?" I ask. "Are they in trouble?"

"Are they in trouble? Yes, Yuna, they're in trouble. All of the GMs are pissed. I mean, here's the future of the Abes' goaltending fighting the guy they thought was their new future of the team. Right in front of the media. And, just so you know, you know who they're gonna be more pissed at? Tidus. Cetan's gonna get a little slap on the wrist. But Tidus is gonna be in a lot more trouble."

Baralai shakes his head and plops down in his chair. He looks kind of exhausted.

"Tidus shouldn't have thrown the first punch," Baralai says, shaking his head.

"Cetan shouldn't have jumped him," I say quickly.

Baralai just lets out a little laugh.

Finally, even though I know it's an awkward thing to ask, I hear my voice say, softly, "Um, were they fighting over me?"

To this, Baralai laughed.

"Oh Yuna," he said, shaking his head at me, "the two of them have been butting heads for years."

"Cetan and Tidus?" I say. "No, they seemed totally cool with each other."

"Are you kidding me?" Baralai practically cries.

"Well, yeah," I say. I point at Baralai. "It's you that Tidus has a problem with."

At this, Baralai bursts out in laughter.

"Oh, me, eh?" he says. "Yuna, you have it all wrong."

"No I don't. Tidus told me. He told me that your dad and his dad notoriously hated each other, so the two of you naturally hate each other."

Baralai laughs again.

"Oh, sure, that's true—about our dads. But the reason Tidus really hates me is because I'm friends with Cetan."

"No. Tidus said he doesn't hate you… he says you hate him."

Again with the laughter. I'm starting to feel ridiculous. But yet, here I am, still sticking up for everything that Tidus has told me.

"No, Yuna. Tidus and I were always cool. Growing up, we were friends even. But Cetan and I go even further back. Cetan's my best friend. And, for the record, Yuna, he's a damn good goalie. A damn good blitzball player. Not emotionally driven like your little friend—excuse me, _boyfriend_—Tidus."

I find myself glaring at Baralai.

"Yeah, well, who's a better person?" I hear myself ask. "Tidus, or Mr. I-give-other-girls-roses-while-I-have-a-girlfriend?"

I know I'm being irrational and stupid, but I point angrily at the garbage can, where the roses are.

"One of these days, you're going to realize that you're messing with the wrong guys," Baralai just says. "Don't say I didn't try to warn you."

I just shoot him a deeper glare.

"Oh, and Yuna?" Baralai asks. I suddenly notice there is true anger in his tone. "You're free to leave for the day."

I let out a sound that comes off like a "hmph" and gather my handbag. With my head held high, I march out of the door, letting the door close loudly behind me. Obviously this is an immature way to act, especially in front of my supervisor, but Baralai has made me too angry. Plus, I'm relieved that I'm able to go. All I want is to find Tidus and make sure he's okay.

But as I start toward the hotel, I suddenly remember how Baralai had acted before Wakka had interrupted. Baralai seemed as though he was about to tell me something extremely important.

I feel a shiver run through me. A part of me wants to turn back and ask Baralai what it was he was going to say. But after the way I just acted, I know I can't do that.

So, feeling suddenly uneasy, I make my way to the hotel, trying to focus not on Baralai, but instead Tidus.


	19. Nonetheless

**OMG I actually got an update out! That's because I pretty much wrote this entire thing in my Family Law class (something I'll probably regret come exam time, but whatever). I think the next chapter will be the last chapter. We'll see what happens. The characters have taken over a bit. I have like a love-square thing going on (is Yuna going to end up with Tidus?! Or is Cetan going to sneak in there? WHAT ABOUT BARALAI!?) and sometimes even I'm not sure who I want Yuna to end up with at the end... because I'm not going to lie, my FAVORITE parts to write are the Yuna and Cetan parts. Seriously so much fun to write...**

**But I digress. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 19: Nonetheless**

I have dinner that night with Tidus. He didn't really lose a tooth, but his lip is busted up. It's puffy and it's clear that he received at least five stitches. His eye is also a little puffy, but overall, he looks worlds better than I was expecting.

At first, we say nothing about his fight. Instead, he talks about how glad he is that rookie camp is basically over. He makes it sound like rookie camp is some sort of torture.

I feel a little differently, though. I pick at my salad and listen to him talk, thinking to myself that I am actually a little sad that rookie camp is over. After all, I knew going into my internship that rookie camp was going to be the highlight. I try to tell myself that it doesn't matter that rookie camp is over. My goal coming into this internship was to spend more time with Tidus. And here I am, spending more time with Tidus.

I should be gleeful. I should be ridiculously giddy. But instead, I just feel apprehensive. Maybe it's because Tidus is lisping nearly every word and I feel as though I'm to blame.

"So what did you do today?" Tidus finally asks me. "I didn't see you today."

"Well, originally I was on my way to help after the fight…" I glance up at him, expecting him to look shocked that I knew about the fight. But of course it was _obvious_. Tidus was, after all, wearing the evidence on his face.

"Yeah, that," Tidus just says. I notice he shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He's no longer looking at me, but looking outside the restaurant window, as if there's something far more interesting happening out there.

"So what happened?" I ask.

Tidus lets out a sigh and says, "What do you want to know? What happened before, after, or during?"

"I guess all three…" I say.

"Okay. Well, before, I was just playing my game. Then, all of a sudden, completely out of nowhere, Cetan attacked me. As you can tell by my face. And then, I got in major trouble. The GMs were all over me, pissed off like it was _my_ fault."

"Is it going to be okay?" I ask. Originally, I was going to tell him that no, he wasn't just playing his game. I was going to tell him that I saw him out there, going after Cetan. But now I'm thinking about what Baralai said—that Cetan won't get in trouble but Tidus _will_.

To this, Tidus shrugs. But then, he looks at me and I see a smile grow onto his lips. As his smile grows, my face falls. I don't like the way he's smiling at me.

"It'll be fine," he says, looking very sure of himself.

I continue to pick at my salad. Tidus is eating his pasta like he hasn't eaten in ages.

Finally, I realize I can't keep it to myself anymore.

"So what's going on between you and Cetan?"

At first, Tidus looks upset that I asked. He's even frowning at me. But then his face softens and he blinks at me innocently.

"Nothing's going on between us," he finally says.

"Um, okay, except your face is all beaten up thanks to Cetan…"

Tidus suddenly smiles at me. He almost looks like he's in some sort of disbelief. I can't decide if I feel uncomfortable or at ease with the way he's now looking at me.

He takes his water and drinks it, now looking at me thoughtfully.

Finally, he leans back in his chair and crosses his arms.

"You're smart," he says.

For some reason, that comment makes me feel angry. I feel like he's mocking me. But something in his eyes makes me think that he doesn't mean what he says as an insult. He really means it as a compliment.

Apparently sensing that I don't feel comfortable with what he just said, Tidus instantly backtracks.

"Look, what I mean by that is, you know, you're not some idiot. The girls I'm typically around are total idiots. They don't actually care about anything but my money or my looks. I guarantee they would want to know what happened to my face, but not because they actually _care_. More because I look like shit."

Tidus suddenly looks at his plate. He looks sheepish. Or apologetic. Maybe a bit of both. I feel uncomfortable again. There's no reason for him to feel sheepish _or_ apologetic.

Then, he leans back and crosses his arms again.

"I've hated Cetan for a while," he finally says. "And he hates me."

"Why?"

"Why?" Tidus repeats. He laughs. "It goes way back, Yuna. Don't bother worrying about it."

"But I am worried about it," I say, looking up at Tidus even though I'm scared to.

"Well, don't," Tidus says, leaning across the table so he's closer to me.

"Are you sure I should go to the party with him?" I ask, my voice small. "I think Cetan thinks I'm into him, or something. I don't want to give him the wrong idea."

To this, Tidus smiles again. Again, a smile I don't like.

"Trust me, Yuna," he just says, "it'll all work out better this way."

He leans back then and waves for the check, telling the waitress to just put it all on his tab.

"Anyway, I gotta go. See you later, sweetheart."

And then, he stands up, laughing to himself as he walks away.

I watch him as he walks away, my heart pounding. Tidus is up to something. But I have no idea what. And, the lump in my throat tells me that whatever he's up to, it has to do with me.

* * *

That night, I go shopping. After all, I have a party to go to the next day. A young, chipper sale's associate helps me, chatting mindlessly and asking me what the dress is for. When I tell her, she practically lets out a squeal.

"_Ohmyyevon, you're dating a player for the Abes?_" she squeals. I explain to her that technically he's a member of the Wasps, but I'm confident that he'll be with the Abes soon. She squeaks and wants to know who it is.

But this question confuses me, and I make the mistake of asking her if she wants me to tell her who I'm dating or who I'm going to the party with.

"Whoa, wait a minute, you're dating _two_ Abes players?" There's no denying that she's looking at me like I'm Yevon.

"So who are they?" she asks again after telling me that she knows the _perfect_ dress.

I sigh and tell her. "I'm going to the party with Cetan. But I'm dating Tidus." Of course, I'm not sure if the word "dating" is right.

"Yevon, Cetan is _so hot_," the girl says, hanging short black dresses on her arm.

"He is very nice-looking," I agree.

"I don't know who Tidus is," the girl admits as she leads me to a changing room.

"Oh, he's wonderful," I say. Normally I would follow this statement with a dreamy look, but after my confusing dinner, I find myself just looking confused.

_Is Tidus wonderful?_

* * *

The next day at the office is more stressful that I had been anticipating. It's a "locker cleanout day," meaning that the media is swarming the place, equipment managers are running around getting things put in place, and the players are all too busy eating the free food in the locker room and missing their scheduled interview times.

I'm trying to find Toma, who is twenty minutes late for his interview. It's a little embarrassing, walking through the locker room, looking for a player I've never even spoken to before. I see Tidus and his group in the corner, immaturely throwing meatballs from their sandwiches at each other. I find myself stopping, trying to decide if I want to risk getting covered in meatballs by going up to them and asking if they know where Toma is. Before I can make up my mind, I feel two hands on my shoulders, and before I can even wonder who it is, I'm spun around. Sure enough, I'm facing Cetan, who looks about as beat up as Tidus. His nose looks fine, though.

"H-Hey," I say, feeling shocked once again at how close to him I am.

"Hey," he says. I find myself feeling weak. He's looking at me the way I wish Tidus would look at me.

"What are you up to?" he asks, casually putting his arm around me. Tidus may care what his teammates think, but Cetan obviously doesn't. He starts walking me toward the exit, and I follow his lead. I try to steal a glance behind me to see what Tidus is doing—if Tidus _sees_ what is going on—but I can't. Before I know what's even happening, Cetan directs me outside of the locker room and has me pressed against the wall. He's facing me with his hands pressed against the wall on either side of my shoulders. He looks like he's about to kiss me.

"Um, Cetan, there are reporters everywhere," is all I can think to say. I know I'm blushing.

"So what?" Cetan asks me, and he's about to take the plunge, but I put my hands on his chest, in an attempt to keep him from closing in on me. I hope he doesn't find this offensive, but he must just find it flirtatious, for he smiles at me and pulls away.

"Are you excited for tonight?" Cetan asks. He's still relatively close to me. And he's still looking at me like I'm the greatest thing he's ever seen. I find myself trying to decide if he's just that good of an actor or if I really _am_ the greatest thing he's ever seen. I think of Leblanc, with her perfect curls and perfect features. Is this the way he looks at her, too?

I completely forget Cetan's question, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"I'll pick you up at five?" he whispers. Now I'm thinking that he's a fantastic flirt. And I'm falling for it.

I nod. Cetan kisses me on the cheek and walks away then, whistling happy to himself. I watch him, feeling like I'm in some sort of cloud.

Until I'm snapped out of the cloud by a voice at my side.

"Wow, he's smitten."

I turn toward the voice quickly, and sure enough, Tidus is standing next to me, leaning against the wall, his eyes also on Cetan.

Now my heart's really pounding.

I look at Tidus, my mouth agape, embarrassed and ashamed that he just caught me in that moment with Cetan. But Tidus isn't looking at me. His eyes are on Cetan, who has stopped at the end of the hallway and is talking to one of the equipment managers.

Then, Tidus looks at me, smiles, and hits me casually on the shoulder, almost like I'm some sort of buddy of his.

"Keep up the good work," he says, and with that, he walks away.

* * *

I never do find Toma. I give up after ten minutes of searching (which actually consisted of me wandering around the locker room in a sort of confused daze) and head back to the office. I drop into my chair with an exasperated sigh. _Thank Yevon this is the last day_, I think to myself.

Suddenly, the door opens and it walks Baralai.

"Where's Toma?" he asks me. He looks as frustrated and exhausted as I feel.

I shrug.

"I looked everywhere. I can't find him."

"That shit-head," Baralai says as he stomps over to his desk. "He's all pissy because Tidus stole his spot."

Baralai looks at me then, and clears his throat in a rather dramatic fashion. I feel myself tense up.

"So, word on the street is you're with Cetan."

"I'm with Tidus," I say surely.

"That's not what I'm hearing," Baralai says. "Does Cetan know you think you're with Tidus?"

"First of all, I _am_ with Tidus, and second of all, it's none of Cetan's business."

"Look, Yuna, you really don't want to get involved in this," Baralai says. "Why don't you help out at the party? You could, I don't know, pour punch. Or deejay?"

"You think _I_ could deejay a party?" I ask, laughing. "Come on, Baralai, you said interns are invited to this party! As guests, not as workers!"

"Yeah, it's the truth," Baralai says, sighing. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Why, because I'm going with Cetan when I'm really with Tidus? Don't worry. If anyone's going to get hurt, it's going to be Cetan." I feel a little guilty when I say that.

But Baralai just shakes his head.

"This is all above you, Yuna," he mutters.

Normally Baralai's interference with my love matters makes me upset, but I decide to just change the subject.

"Who are you going to the party with?" I inquire, smiling teasingly at Baralai.

But Baralai just looks at me blankly and says, "No one."

For some reason, this hurts me. I almost want to tell him that he's right—I shouldn't go with Cetan _or_ Tidus. Maybe it would be more proper for me to go to the party with Baralai.

An awkward silence falls over us. Baralai finally turns to his computer and begins to type something. I try to turn to my work, but the truth is, at this point, I don't have any work to do.

After twenty very awkward minutes, Baralai suddenly turns so that he's facing me.

"Look, Yuna. I keep going back and forth on whether I should get involved with this or not, but I think maybe I should. We're _friends_, right?"

I notice he's looking at me in a strange, almost imploring manner. Is he hopeful that we are friends? Is he hopeful that I'm going to say we have something _other_ than friendship?—the other being, of course, employer-employee relationship, of course.

_Right?_

I go with the safest answer.

"Yes, of course."

Okay, maybe the "of course" wasn't necessary. But it just came out.

"Then you're going to have to listen to me," Baralai says. The serious glint in his eyes makes me nervous.

"Okay," I say, rather hesitantly. "I'm listening."

To this, he glares at me. I realize he thinks I'm being snarky. Maybe I am.

"Cetan's not a nice guy."

"I kind of figured that out," I say. "I'm not stupid, Baralai."

"And Tidus isn't a nice guy."

This I can't agree with. I know Baralai has evidence suggesting that Tidus is a bad guy. I prepare my rebuttal in my mind.

But Baralai throws out facts that I had not been expecting.

"Tidus used to date Leblanc. You know, Cetan's girlfriend."

This shocks me.

"I know who she is," I hear myself snap. I don't mean to come off so harshly. But I do. I guess it's just a defense mechanism.

I'm feeling a little…shaky. Again, I think of Leblance with her perfect hair and her perfect body and her perfect everything. Even her golf game was pretty good.

I also think of what Tidus said—that she slept with most of the team. And I remember his response when I had asked if _he_ had slept with her.

_I'm not one for blondes_.

Had he lied to me?

"I didn't think you knew," Baralai finally says. I notice he has wheeled his chair over to me. He's actually pretty close to me, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He almost looks like he's just told me that someone in my family had died.

"Is that why they hate each other?" I ask.

"Yeah," Baralai doesn't hesitate to respond. "And I think that's why they're both messing with you."

"What if they're not messing with me?" I ask quickly. I want to believe that they're not messing with me. I think of the way Cetan had looked at me in the locker room. Could he really fake that?

But the problem lies in Tidus. I feel my emotions getting away from me. Tears are welling up in my eyes and I'm attempting to blink them away.

Has Tidus just been messing with me?

"I'm really sorry," Baralai says. "I've been trying to warn you."

I think of how Tidus reacted when we talked about Leblanc. He acted like he really didn't care about her. I also think about Cetan. He _also_ acted like he didn't really care about her.

Maybe I should be feeling sorry for Leblanc in all of this.

Baralai is watching me intensely. I wonder if he's trying to figure out what I'm thinking about. I'm guessing he probably won't think it's Leblanc I'm feeling sorry for.

"So what are you going to do?" Baralai asks.

I look at him. He looks _hopeful_. Suddenly, I feel like the only person messing with me is Baralai. Do I believe that Leblanc dated Tidus? Sure. But do I believe that Tidus and Cetan are both messing with me _because of Leblanc_? Not entirely. But here sits Baralai, so close to me—so close that our knees are almost touching—looking at me as though he _hopes_ I burst out in tears and give him a chance to console me.

I feel sick.

I glance quickly at the clock and feel relief as I notice that the day has officially ended.

"I've got to go," I say, standing up quickly. "I have a party to prepare for."


	20. Regress

**Ahhhh so sorry it took me so long to update! (Although, after practically a 2-year hiatus, a few weeks is nothing, right?) Anyway, I really, really, REALLY thought this was going to be my last chapter (and really, really REALLY HOPED this was going to be my last chapter; this story is sooo long!) but, alas, it is not. There will be one more chapter after this.**

**Also, before I allow you all to get to the chapter, I wanted to say once again that if anyone (anyone at all!) is interested in reading my novelized _Combined Yards _with the bonus _Combined Yards 2 _please PM me. I've had some interest and I want more! :)**

**Okay, with that, I give you chapter 20. Please enjoy!**

**(P.S. in case any of you are wondering, Yuna's dress is Rachel Zoe's 'Judi' Ruffled Crepe Dress, available in the U.S. (and maybe Canada? haha) at Nordstrom department stores. HOLY COW GUYS I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS DRESS. *Ahem* Anyway, then, please continue on.)**

**Chapter 20: Regress**

I cannot help but admire myself in the mirror as I spritz myself dramatically with my favorite perfume. I feel like a princess. Or a movie star. And I'm sure I'll look like a princess or a movie star with Cetan on my arm.

Of course, this thought causes me to sigh as I put my perfume down on my bureau. I don't want to be on Cetan's arm. I want to be on Tidus'.

Cetan had texted me earlier. I had no idea how he got my number, but it certainly didn't surprise me that he had. I glance at the clock. He would be picking me up in twenty minutes. And then he was taking me to dinner. I tried to assure him that dinner was unnecessary and that I would just meet him at the arena, but he refused to hear it. In fact, he flat-out ignored me.

Which also certainly did not surprise me.

I continue to admire myself in the mirror. The sales associate at the mall was right; my dress is perfect. And, surprisingly, my hair even looks fantastic. I _feel_ perfect.

I spin around, causing my just-above-the-knee-length black dress to twirl. The waist-line is dropped, but the skirt flares out. I feel like a glamorous flapper straight out of the '20s. I even add my best pearls, inherited from my mother. I buckle my t-strap heels and continue to examine myself in the mirror. I feel excited at Tidus seeing me look like this. It should definitely counteract the time Tidus had seen me in Baralai's hat.

So, even though I'm not sure it's a good idea, I decide to go visit Tidus at his room.

For some reason, I feel more and more nervous with every step I take. By the time I reach Tidus' door, my heart is pounding.

I manage to knock on his door in a strong, confident manner, even though I'm not feeling remotely confident. My throat is dry and I'm worried I won't even be able to speak if he opens the door.

I take a step back. So far no answer.

Then, just as I am about to give up and go back to my room, the door opens. Tidus smiles when he sees me, and I notice that he has on dress pants with an undershirt that he is just finishing buttoning. His tie is hanging around his neck, untied.

"Hey, sorry, you caught me changing," he says as he finishes buttoning. Then, he looks up at me. For a second, his eyes pause on my face. Then, he gives me a quick up-and-down, with his eyes once again resting on my face. I try to judge his thoughts—does he like what he sees?

But I'm surprised to see that he looks, well, sad when his eyes finally stop on mine. And not just sad… worried? Nervous? And, dare I say it, regretful?

But then his face breaks into a casual smile, and he says, "You look really great, Yuna."

And somehow, I _know_ he means it.

"Thanks," I say, instantly feeling relieved. I follow him in, holding my clutch folded over my chest almost in a protective manner. But I tell myself to relax.

"So where's Cetan?" he asks as he starts fumbling with his tie. Now, usually I am not even the slightest bit of the type of girl to just jump into something, but seeing Tidus about to tie his tie made me practically run over to him.

"Let me tie that for you!" I say, practically blushing at the fact that I'm standing so close to him. But, honestly, I learned the proper way to tie a tie when I was in seventh grade home-ec. class _just_ for the moment that I was able to offer to tie a man's tie for him. I can't help but beam as I tie Tidus' tie.

He smiles at me, but then says, "You didn't answer my question."

"What question?" I ask, looking up at him. I'm still shocked at how close I am to him.

"Where's Cetan?"

"Oh, he's coming in a few minutes." I can't help but smooth out Tidus' tie against his chest. Honestly, I'm having trouble even remembering who Cetan is.

"Well, you'll look really good with him," Tidus says. And with that, he steps away from me, examining himself in the mirror and straightening out his tie, even though I had already done that.

I watch him, and see him look at me through the mirror.

He turns to face me, then, looking, well, sad again.

"I mean it, Yuna," he says. "About you looking really good. With him."

_What is he trying to say?_

Tidus suddenly clears his throat and he turns back to the mirror. Again, he looks at me through the mirror.

"I mean… I want you to have a good time tonight," he finally says.

"Oh. Thanks," I say. "Are you, um, going to tell Cetan that we're together?"

Tidus is fiddling with his tie again. He's practically unknotted it. I fight the urge to go back up to him and fix it.

"Look, Yuna," he suddenly says, turning around very quickly. At that exact second, however, my phone starts going off loudly.

Of course, I ignore it. My eyes are on Tidus. I'm waiting for him to finish what he was going to say.

But Tidus just sighs, and says, "You should answer that. It might be Cetan."

I want to tell him that I don't _care_ if it's Cetan or not. But I just quickly turn and pick up my clutch, which I had left on the couch. I pull out my phone, and sure enough, it's Cetan. So, hastily, I answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Yuna-Tuna. I'm in the lobby."

"You're here already?" I glance at my watch. He's five full minutes early.

"I'm always early," he says, laughing. I force some laughter too, wondering if I'm relieved or upset that he's not more offended by my demand of asking why he was already here.

"Okay, I'll be down in a few minutes," I say, wishing I could say that I wouldn't be down after all.

"See you soon."

"Bye."

I hang up and throw my phone down. I turn to face Tidus, but he's gone.

"Tidus?" I ask, walking toward the kitchen. He comes out of the bedroom then, and I realize he had gone to get his suit jacket, which he is now slipping over his wonderfully broad shoulders.

"Was that him?" Tidus asks as he straightens out his jacket.

"Yeah," I say. "He's here."

"Oh," is all Tidus says.

We stand there, somewhat awkwardly. I know that I should gather up my clutch and phone and head down to the lobby. But somehow I can't. I can't just leave with the awkward air between Tidus and I.

I'm about to finally just say goodbye, but Tidus speaks before I can.

"You know, if I didn't like that dress on you so much, I'd say let's not go to this thing and you could take it off."

It's so awkward. But if Tidus thinks it is, he doesn't care. He's looking at me, right into my eyes, as though he's dead serious. My heart's pounding. A part of me wants to tell him that _I_ don't like the dress all that much, but I'm too confused. How in Spira does he go from utter awkwardness to basically telling me he wants to jump me?

Feeling bold, I walk up to him, and straighten out his tie again, although by this point it definitely doesn't need anymore straightening.

"I don't usually let guys talk to me like that," I say, my eyebrows raising in a challenging manner.

I expect Tidus to kiss me. But he just smiles.

And honestly, at that moment, I like his smile more than his kisses.

* * *

As much as I _know_ that I like Tidus more than I like Cetan, Cetan still never ceases to completely take my breath way. And he looks _especially_ breathtaking tonight. Basically, I'm convinced that if I went around and asked different girls to describe their ideal men, at least ninety percent would basically describe Cetan: his dark blonde hair gelled stylishly and his suit bringing out all of his best features, his eyes a stunning, striking green, and his smile whiter and more dazzling than the pearls around my neck.

He greets me with a kiss on the cheek, which is casual enough. I allow it, mostly because I'm in a bit of a daze, probably still from my—interesting?—encounter with Tidus mixed with the rather wonderful smell of Cetan's cologne.

Dinner passes without incident. I find myself actually very interested in what Cetan has to say. He talks about the pressures of being a goaltender and how he really hopes that this is his year with the Abes. It's interesting. In fact, it's the type of conversation I always expected to have with Tidus.

"But I must be boring you," he says, he cheeks flushed slightly from what I suppose is a mixture of embarrassment and the red wine that he is drinking.

"No, you're not," I say, honestly.

"You know, you're so much different than any other girl I've ever met," Cetan suddenly says, leaning across the table. I don't mean to offend him, but I feel myself lean back against my chair, as though I'm worried he can somehow reach me across the table.

I nervously tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and say, "Um, is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Cetain laughs and says, "Oh, a good thing." He leans back against his chair, but his eyes are still on me, almost as if they're trying to figure something out about me. I feel myself shiver.

"Let me explain why," Cetan suddenly says, sitting straight and taking a quick sip of his wine. "You're not the usual type. Leblanc—"

"Your girlfriend?" I can't help but interrupt. I can hear my voice sneering the word _girlfriend_. But why should I be angry with Cetan? Don't I also have a significant other?

To this, Cetan smiles sweetly, and says, "That can always be modified, Yuna."

Then, he takes another sip of wine and says, "But anyway, we see the same girls over and over and over—different faces, sure. But same girls. But not you. You're naïve."

"Oh, thanks," I say, taking a quick drink of my water. I wish I was old enough to order alcohol.

"You think that's a bad thing?" Cetan asks, shaking his head. "No. It's cute."

"I'm glad I'm cute," I say, feeling heat in my cheeks. Is that how Tidus sees me too? Naïve and… cute?

I realize that all I want to do is to do _something_ that's going to make Cetan realize I'm not naïve and… cute. But, sitting there, fiddling with the pearls around my neck, I can't help but realize that maybe Cetan is right.

I half-expect Cetan to realize that I'm feeling uncomfortable, but he just keeps looking at me, the same smile on his face.

Finally, he sets down his wine glass, and says, "You ready to go?"

"Sure," I say, almost eagerly. I realize I'm anxious to be done with dinner and to be at the party. I'm anxious to see Tidus.

Cetan leads me to his sleek, black, and surely-expensive car and starts off, driving fast. I'm suddenly trying to remember how much wine he drank…

Luckily the arena isn't far. He pulls into the parking lot and I realize how strange it feels to be on the _other_ side. It almost feels wrong to be stepping out of Cetan's car, in the _player's _parking lot, hanging onto Cetan's arm. It all feels wrong. I bite my lip, thinking that I should already be inside, pouring punch or deejaying—whatever Baralai wanted me to do. But instead, I threw that away to cling onto Cetan's arm.

I shake my head—no. I'm here for Tidus. Not Cetan. Not Baralai. And not the internship.

"Hey, Yuna," Cetan suddenly says right as we reach the door. He's looking at me very seriously, his eyes intent on mine.

"Y-Yes?" I manage.

"I just want you to know that it may seem like I'm messing with you, but I'm really not."

_Okay._

I don't really know what to say. Cetan _saying_ that just makes me think that he _is_ messing with me. But the look on his face suggests that he's dead serious. Is he that good of an actor?

I decide to play it cool, though. I take a deep breath hoping the air clears my head.

"What do you mean by that?" I question. I hope my voice doesn't sound as shaky as I think it does. I want to sound strong and confident.

Cetan casually leans against the wall next to the door, his eyes still on me.

"I know you can see right through me," he says. "Or, rather, you think you can see right through me."

"I really don't know what you mean," I say. This time I mean it.

"You're standing here, wondering why I've been flirting with you and wondering why I asked you to this party when I have a girlfriend. I can see it all over your face."

Okay. He has me there.

But I don't know what to say. So I just shrug and say, "Sure. I guess I've wondered about that."

"I knew it. You're not like the other girls," Cetan says with a smile across his face. He opens the door, then, and holds it for me. I walk in and he follows me. Music meets my ears and I realize the main atrium has been turned into some sort of, well, club, or something.

"Anyway, the reason I bring it up," Cetan says, walking up to me and slinking his arm casually around my waist, "is because I dumped her."

But at that moment, he looks across the atrium and I can see his face drop—_physically drop_. I follow his gaze, feeling confused.

And that's when I see it.

Standing not far from us, standing in the middle of the dance floor even though they weren't dancing, was Tidus and… Leblanc.

Cetan and I both stare, our mouths agape. Tidus has his arms around Leblanc's waist and she has hers around his shoulders, almost as if they're slow-dancing at a high school prom. But they're not dancing. Instead, their whispering into each other's ears and laughing, gazing into each other's eyes as though they can't get enough of each other.

Suddenly, Cetan is moving at my side. I watch in horror as he walks up to the couple and separates them, shoving Tidus hard.

I come to my senses and I run forward. I put my arm on Cetan's shoulder, maybe to try to calm him down or something, but he just shakes me off.

"What the hell are you doing with my girlfriend, Tidus?" Cetan shouts.

_Girlfriend_? Hadn't Cetan just told me that he dumped Leblanc?

Meanwhile, Leblanc is rolling her eyes and saying, "Oh, don't be so dramatic, Cetan. We were just talking."

Tidus dusts his shoulder off. I realize he looks immensely proud of himself. He doesn't appear to have even noticed that I'm standing there. His eyes are on Cetan's.

"Go ahead, Leblanc, you can tell him," Tidus says, crossing his arms in a cocky manner. "She's dumping your ass, Cetan."

My heart is pounding. I can't figure out what's going on.

Until Tidus says, "She's with me now."

I feel myself stumble backwards, away from them.

They're not fighting over me.

They never were fighting over me.

They're fighting over Leblanc.

"Tidus, get your head out of your ass," Cetan is suddenly saying. He's standing close to Tidus, so close that he seems to be towering over Tidus. "She's not going with you. You're a loser, Tidus. A _nobody_. You're never going to be as successful as me. You're _never_ going to be as rich as me. The Abes are dropping you after this season and you and I both know it."

As if to agree with Cetan, Leblanc suddenly ducks under his arm and plants her hand firmly against his chest.

I just stand there. I have no idea what to say. I realize Tidus suddenly doesn't look so confident. He looks past Cetan at Leblanc, but Leblanc diverts her eyes. If I wasn't so confused, I know I would feel bad for Tidus. By looking away, Leblanc has just confirmed everything Cetan said.

And Tidus looks _hurt_.

But I'm suddenly sick of it all. I look at Tidus, I look at Cetan, and I look at Leblanc. My heart is suddenly pounding. And for once, it's pounding with _anger_.

"Baralai was right," I hear myself say. I take a step forward. I realize that Tidus has just seen me for the first time. The hurt is still in his eyes, but now he looks sheepish. I feel myself glare at him, something that, just hours ago, I never could have imagined myself doing.

"You were both just using me."

With that, I turn sharply on my heel.

To be honest, I expect Cetan to follow me. To be completely honest, he had managed to convince me that he liked me. That this—whatever "this" was—wasn't about Tidus or Leblanc, but rather about real feelings he had toward me. I even expect Tidus to just laugh, wave at me dismissively, and turn to find his friends.

But to my surprise, Cetan doesn't follow me. He shrugs, turns to Leblanc, and starts to talk to her. For whatever reason, this causes my heart to shatter. But I instantly pull myself together and continue on. I'm heading for the hallway outside of Baralai's office.

But before I can make it, I feel a hand on my arm.

Tidus spins me around, his blue eyes flashing.

But I don't let him talk.

"You lied to me?" I'm not crying. I don't know how I'm keeping the lump in my throat from popping. I swallow. "You used me?"

I don't know why I'm bothering to ask questions I already know the answers to.

Tidus looks at me. His eyes are strange. They're soft. As if he feels bad. But I know better now.

I wait for him to say something. To _try_ to tell me that he's sorry. To _try_ and explain himself to me. But he says nothing. He just looks at me, his eyes so soft.

I don't know what to say. But I can't stand there, looking at him. Not anymore. Again, I turn on my heel and head toward the door.

I half-expect him to chase me. I half-expect him to chase me into the hallway, take me by the wrist, and spin me around to face him again. I half-expect him to kiss me, and say something so wondrous that it'll change everything.

But soon enough, I'm in the hallway, and I'm alone.

The music from the party filters into the hallway. I lean my back against the wall and let my body slink down until I'm on the floor. I'm crying now.

I stop myself then, and look up. It was stupid. The whole thing was stupid. I realize that now. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to realize it.

I hear someone approach, so I instantly look up, half-expecting to see Tidus.

I don't know why I waste my half-expectations on him, because it wasn't Tidus and was instead—as I should have known—Baralai.

"Hey," he says. He doesn't wait for me to greet him. He walks right over to me and takes a seat next to me. "You okay?"

"Do I look okay?" I manage.

Baralai just gives me a smile.

"I tried to warn he," he says after a moment of silence. "Of course, I didn't think they would pull something like _that_."

"I just don't get it!" I suddenly spewed, ignoring Baralai's comments. "Tidus was so nice, you know, back in Bevelle!"

"Did you ever know him?"

The question immediately stops my tears. I turn to Baralai and blink.

How did Baralai _know_?

"No, I didn't really know him," I say, softly. "I guess I've never really known him."

"You were just idealizing him," Baralai says. He offers me a small smile.

"I just thought I was right about him," I say. I wipe my nose with my arm, not caring that it's a little gross. Baralai can think whatever he wants of me right now—I deserve it.

"Yuna, you are," Baralai says. He looks away from me and toward the party. His sentence causes me to feel confused. I glance over at him, my eyebrows pulled forward.

"What did you just say?" I ask, even though I heard him.

Baralai takes a deep breath, and says, "Underneath that stupid shell, Tidus is who you think he is."

"No, Baralai, no he's not. And you were right. You were right about him, and about Cetan, and about Leblanc. And about me. I was in over my head. I was from the very start."

Baralai shifts at my side and looks at me.

"Look, when Tidus first came here, he was on top of the world. The Abes were seriously considering him, he had just gotten this huge signing bonus—which I'm pretty sure he spent all of—and Leblanc was his girlfriend. I think he thought… Well, I think he thought he was in love with her. Like I said, he was on top of the world. But soon a season passed and he hadn't moved up the way he thought he would. And Leblanc dumped him for Cetan. When that happened, Tidus really started slipping. Especially because, well, as you probably realized, Cetan isn't faithful to Leblanc. But all Leblanc cares about is looks and fame. Which Cetan has. And Tidus doesn't."

"So Tidus is still in love with her?" I can't decide how I feel. Am I sad that Tidus lost his love? No. That just makes me feel jealous.

"No. He's in love with the _idea_ of her," Baralai says, shaking his head. "He sees Cetan, super successful, with Leblanc, and he thinks he could be as successful as Cetan with Leblanc. Or something like that."

I'm not sure if it makes sense or not. All I know is, Baralai's little story isn't making me feel any better. It doesn't make me feel better to know that Tidus and Leblanc were together. It doesn't make me feel better that Tidus associates her with success. And honestly, it doesn't even make me feel better that Cetan had apparently thought of using me as a side girl (that actually makes me feel a little ashamed of myself).

I take a deep breath.

"I think Tidus had this planned the whole time," I say, focusing on my nails. There's a slight chip in my nail polish. "He just used me to try to get back at Cetan. I can't believe I couldn't see through it!"

Baralai puts his hand comfortingly on my shoulder and says, "Hey, at least you tried, right? And if you want to know the truth, I think Tidus does like you. He just can't figure you out."

Baralai suddenly laughs slightly to himself and stands up.

"None of us can figure you out," he adds. He's about to walk away, but the door to the atrium suddenly opens and out walks Tidus.

Tidus' eyes widen at the sight of Baralai with me. He looks scared.

"Hey," he says. "Can I talk to Yuna?"

Baralai looks back at me. I suddenly realize that Baralai's ready to protect me if that's what I want. Knowing that Baralai has my back actually makes me feel a lot better. It's comforting, even.

But I smile at Baralai and say, "It's okay, Baralai."

It is okay.

"Alright," Baralai says, looking at me and then looking at Tidus. I notice he gives Tidus a very long warning look.

As soon as Baralai is gone, Tidus comes over to me, just as I'm standing up to meet him.

"Look, Yuna, I can explain everything—" he starts, almost breathlessly.

But I hold my hand up.

"Just save it," I say. "You're not sorry and we both know it. Tidus, I was willing to give you everything I possibly could. But you're not interested in any of that. I realize it now."

"Yuna, just let me—"

"I understand it all now," I say, quickly interrupting him. "And it's okay. The only person who got hurt here is me. Just like both you and Cetan knew."

I wait for Tidus to say that he was hurt too—and I know he was. I can still see the hurt in his eyes, maybe because it's still there, sparkling in his blue eyes.

But he doesn't say anything. He just stares at me. Just like he had in the atrium when he first stopped me.

I shrug at him.

"Nothing, Tidus? You have nothing to say to me?"

He looks down.

"I knew it," I say, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. I purposely brush past him—maybe just to be close to him one last time. "You're not sorry."

And with that, I walk outside.

I make it all the way to my hotel room before I start to cry.


	21. Protests

**OMG**, my last chapter of fanfic. :') I want to apologize for taking FOREVER (**FOREVER**) to finish this story, but here it is, the last chapter. And the last Rikku-Hoshi fanfic. It's been a lovely run. I've met some great, great people through fanfic, which led me to meet my best friend and multiple wonderful trips to Japan. Thanks to writing FFX2 fanfic, I started listening to Gackt, which basically shaped who I am today, believe it or not. Writing fanfic gave me a _fantastic _outlet that honestly helped me get through some heartbreak (especially this story!). And overall, I want to thank all of the wonderful comments, PMs, and reviews I've received over the years. You guys are all great and pushed me to become the writer I am today.

Also, I want to put it out one more time-if you're interested in reading my novelized "Combined Yards" along with the sequel, please-PLEASE!-PM me your e-mail address. I have recently read through _Combined Yards_ and I'm going to glance through _Combined Yards 2 _and then I'll be sending those out to all who have sent me their e-mail addresses. So, last call! Send me a PM if you're interested!

And with that, I bring you my last chapter of _The Internship_. ENJOY!

* * *

**Chapter 21: Protests**

I wake up the next morning still wearing my ridiculously expensive dress. My mother's pearls are still around my neck. And as I sit up and catch my reflection in the mirror, I see mascara dried all down my cheeks. I thought I hadn't cried, but I must have done so in my sleep. For some reason, this angers me. I grab my pillow and chuck it hard at the mirror—only to miss and almost knock my laptop off my desk.

I throw my body back down on the bed, my eyes on the popcorn-textured ceiling. I'm trying to take deep breaths. I'm trying to stay calm. But there are tears welling up in my eyes and the lump in my throat is so large that it feels like it's going to tear its way right out of my throat. I sit up again and carefully remove the pearls from my neck. Then, I stand up and put the pearls carefully in my jewelry box. I take my earings out and run my hand through my hair, which has mostly fallen out of the extravagant updo it had been in. Then, I close my jewelry box and latch it.

Last night was, after all, my last night at this hotel. _Thank Yevon._

I walk into the bathroom then and carefully wash my face, glad to have all of the remnants from last night removed from my face. A bit of glitter remains on my cheeks, so I wash my face again, scrubbing hard, almost scraping, to make sure there is no remnant of last night's—or this entire summer's—mistake. Then, with my shoulders pushed back and my head held high, I begin anew, applying my foundation carefully onto my face as though it can conceal more than the blemishes on my face.

* * *

I know I'm supposed to go into the office. I have some things to finish up before I take the train back to Bevelle, which, unfortunately, isn't until this evening. But it's almost noon and I'm still in my room, packing. My phone is blinking, but I haven't looked at any of the texts. I'm sure one is from Baralai, undoubtedly asking me if I'm coming into the office. And if there are anymore missed calls or texts, I'm not going to hold out hope that they're from Tidus, or even from Cetan.

But soon I'm all packed and it's almost noon. As much as I want to avoid my phone, I know I can't any longer. I walk over in an almost huffy manner and look at it, my eyes slightly glazed over. Sure enough, the first text is from Baralai. All it says is, "Coming in today?" I quickly respond, "I'll be in around one." As soon as I send it, I wish I could take it back. I wish I could say, "Actually, never mind. I'm getting on the train back to Bevelle as quickly as I possibly can." Alas, duty calls. What kind of intern would I be if I missed my last day?

The next text is from my dad, asking me what time he'll need to pick me up from the train station. This makes me smile momentarily. Finally, I can go back to my old life. The life I had _before_ this Tidus nonsense interfered. I thought of all my friends back home. It all seemed so familiar and nice.

But I felt my face fall. I honestly hadn't thought I would be going home empty-handed. Especially not after coming _so close_. There are tears in my eyes again, but I quickly brush them away and respond to my father to pick me up around 8:30.

And the next text message… was from Tidus.

I immediately put my finger on the "delete" button, but even as my finger hovers over the option to delete, I know I can't do that. As much as I wish I was strong enough to just delete his text without looking, I know I'm not.

And so, I read it, telling myself that I will glance through it and then delete it.

_Hey Yuna. Can we talk?_

Really? That's _all_ he's going to say? I roll my eyes and delete the message. Of course, my heart is suddenly pounding. I roll my eyes and shove my phone in my pocket. Then, I grab my bag and march to the door. I need to get to the office, finish up, and then check out of Zanarkand for good.

I open my door hastily, only to run smack into… Tidus.

"What are you doing here?" I cry, shoveing myself away from him, my voice somewhat shrill. I feel so many waves of emotion hit me that I feel as though I'm going to faint. Somehow, the predominate emotion is embarrassment. I know my cheeks are burning with anger and embarrassment.

"I-I, uh, I came to talk to you," Tidus says. He's looking me in the eyes, his eyes still with that soft, hurt look that I saw last night.

"Just save it," I say, closing the door and walking past him. "I don't want to hear it. You don't need to apologize, Tidus. Not if you're not sorry."

"But I am sorry!" he cries, walking quickly behind me. "It was all so stupid of me, Yuna. I realize that now!"

I just roll my eyes. _A little too late_, I think. I don't say anything to him. I've already decided he's not worth it.

I'm almost at the stairs before he finally catches me. He walks swiftly in front of me, so quickly that I almost run into him again. I don't bother to hide my annoyance.

"Tidus, I need to get to the office," I say, crossing my arms. I even tap my foot to show my impatience.

"I just… I had to go through with it, Yuna. I finally had Cetan and Leblanc right where I wanted them and I just thought…" He looks away from me, suddenly appearing sheepish again. "I just thought I could have everything I wanted."

"Right, Leblanc," I say. "But not me."

I try to walk past him, but he catches my arm and spins me around. I'm facing him, and our bodies are close. I'm feeling my resolve fading. But I won't let that happen.

"Last night, Yuna," Tidus says, his hand still wrapped around my wrist, "you said something about only you being hurt. But you don't know how much it _hurt me_ to see you hurt. I realized it then."

I tear my wrist from his grip and spin back around.

"Are you even listening to me?" he cries.

I answer by continuing to walk down the stairs.

I'll be honest—it hurt to walk away from him like that. With every step I take, the lump in my throat feels closer and closer to bursting. I tuck my botton lip under my teeth and bite down rather hard, hoping that keeps the tears from coming. I want to turn around to see what Tidus is doing. Is he looking after me as I walk away? Is he behind me? Has he simply turned around and given up on me?

I don't know—because I never look behind me.

"You really didn't have to come in," Baralai says as I walk into the office and go to my little desk.

He has spun his chair around and he's facing me, leaning back, his hands clasped around his stomach. He's looking at me as though he expects me to say something groundbreaking. I suddenly feel like crying all over again—is he waiting to see if I tell him that I've decided I want him after all of this mess?

But right now, even if I was into Baralai, I'm too broken. I simply begin to organize my desk, tucking my file of projects for my portfolio into my bag.

"Wakka was hoping we could take you out to lunch," Baralai finally says. He has spun back so that he's facing his computer. "I told him I didn't think you would be up for that."

"Yeah, I'm not up for that," I say. I suddenly hate Tidus. If it wasn't for Tidus, I would have had a normal, every day intern experience. I would have let Wakka and Baralai take me out for lunch and eaten at some fancy restaurant while they cooed that they would be more than happy to write me letters of recommendation.

I doubted I'd be getting _any_ letters of recommendation any time soon.

Silence falls before Baralai says, "What time are you leaving?"

"Around seven," I answer, my tone bland. "Is there anything you need me to do today?"

Baralai gives me a small smile.

"No. Unless you want to play golf with Cetan and I."

I don't know if that's Baralai's idea of a joke, but I don't find it funny. In fact, I full-out glare at him.

"Sorry, I know it's touchy," Baralai says. "I shouldn't have ever encouraged you to be around Cetan at all. He's like this with all the interns."

"Oh, thanks for making me feel so special," I say, gathering my belongings and standing up to announce that I'm leaving.

"Hey, wait," Baralai says, standing up quickly. "You are special, Yuna."

This makes me glare at him. I hate Baralai too, I decide.

"Yuna, you're the only intern—the _only_ intern—who didn't go with Cetan just to go with him. I know you thought he really liked you, Yuna. That's not usually important to the interns. They just want the attention and they just want to sleep with him. But you were different."

"How do you know?" I say with an eye roll. "You know nothing about me."

"Please, Yuna. Cetan's my best friend. I know how hard he had to work for you compared to the others. I know that you barely gave him the time of day."

Is this supposed to make me feel better? Is it supposed to make me feel better that Cetan had to actually work with me?

"Cetan's a terrible, terrible person," Baralai says, laughing to himself as though it's some sort of funny inside joke. "And I thought you were like all the rest. So I let him mess with you. And I'm really, really sorry about that."

"Great," I just say. "I'm heading out. Please tell Wakka I say goodbye." Wakka. The only innocent man in this stupid blitzball organization.

"Yuna, I really mean it when I say you could make a great asset to this club. When you graduate, I want you to come back and take a job here."

"Ha," I simply say as I walk out the door. But I feel guilty immediately. Baralai basically just offered me what had once been a possible dream job, and I literally laughed in his face.

So, putting on the best smile I can manage, I duck my head back into the office.

"Baralai?" I say. He jumps slightly. He had been staring at my desk in a rather forlorn manner.

"Yeah?" he says, looking shocked that I haven't walked away yet.

"Assuming Tidus is no longer with the Abes, then yes, I'd love to take any position you can offer me."

Baralai smiles.

"Stay in touch, Yuna," he says.

"I will," I promise. I smile, and leave then, closing the door behind me.

* * *

I feel empty as I walk back into the hotel. I know I was hoping Tidus would be in the lobby, waiting for me. But he's nowhere to be found. Again, I straighten myself out. Obviously he's not willing to work very hard to convince me to come back to him.

But my entire body falters as I realize the reason he wasn't in the lobby is because he's sitting on the floor in front of my hotel room, his body slumped up against the door.

When he sees me coming, he stands up quickly, his mouth slightly agape. He looks so entirely sheepish that my first thought comes to me in an instant wave—_Tidus is so cute._

But I shake that thought aside.

"I need to get to my room," I hear myself say. I sound like a robot.

"Look, I'm not good with words," he says, standing firmly between me and the door. "I can't say anything poetic or majestic or wonderful enough to make you think I'm sorry. I'm obviously not Cetan—I'm obviously not _nearly_ as charming as he is." I hear the bitter in his tone, but it immediately dissolves. "I know you're not going to buy my apologies. And you shouldn't. I don't deserve that. But Yuna, I can't just let you walk away without hearing me out. I'll never be able to forgive myself if I do."

I suddenly realize I'm crying. The lump that has been in my throat all day has finally burst. I put my hands to my face, ashamed that I let my resolve down so easily and so immediately. And when I feel his arms go around me, I want desperately to push him away, to push him away as hard as I can and to run into the sanctuary of my hotel room and never leave it.

But instead, I melt into his arms. My forhead is pressed against his left shoulder, and I know I'm crying on the front of his blitzball jacket. But I don't care and he apparently doesn't care either. He's holding me tightly—_so _tightly—and I realize in the back of my mind that he doesn't plan on letting me go anytime soon.

"Why did you fight me all this time?" I manage to ask, my voice coming out muffled since I'm basically speaking into his shoulder.

"Huh?" he says, pulling away slightly—although his hands are pressed tightly on my shoulders. He looks at me—examines me—as though he _needs_ to know what I asked him.

"Why did you fight me all this time? I made it clear from the beginning that I liked you."

He presses his lips tightly together and brushes a bit of hair out my face. He doesn't stop looking at me.

"I don't know," he finally says. "I kept coming up with excuses. I kept telling myself that I need to focus on blitzball, or that you're an intern, or that maybe you deserved someone more like Cetan. I just made excuse after excuse after excuse. And honestly, Yuna, I was embarrassed by the attention you gave me. Because it… well… you made me feel special. You're the first person since I started playing professional blitzball who made me feel like _I _was the standout. No one ever seemed to notice me until you came along. And that, you know, was really weird at first."

I stare at him, realizing I don't know what to say. I'm not even sure what I'm feeling right now. All I know is, I don't want Tidus to let me go.

"Not weird in a bad way, though," he says, giving me a small smile. "Just different. You made me feel different, Yuna. And I didn't know how to deal with it. So I was a jerk. And I'm really, really sorry."

"So what do you want to do?" I hear myself asking. I keep searching his face, wondering if this is some sort of joke. Maybe Cetan put him up to it? Maybe it's still an attempt to get at Cetan? Does it have something to do with Cetan at all?

"I want to start over," Tidus says, his voice firm. "That's all I want right now."

I look into his eyes and he looks back into mine. I know he wants to kiss me and is just waiting for some sign from me that it's okay for him to kiss me.

But it's not okay

"If you don't mind, Tidus," I hear myself say, "I need to get my stuff. My checkout time is in twenty minutes and I'm hoping I can maybe get on an earlier train back to Bevelle."

I still sound robotic, and Tidus seems so shocked at my reaction that he lets me slip out from him and to my door.

I walk into my room, shutting the door behind me. I walk over to my belongings, which I had stacked neatly by the desk. I sling my laptop bag over my shoulder, balance my handbag on my arm, and pull my suitcase back to the door. Of course, Tidus is still standing there, staring at me incredulously.

"Please don't do this," he says. "Please give me a second chance."

"I won't forgive myself if I do," I say, dragging my suitcase over to the elevator.

"I won't forgive myself if you don't," he says. "I mean it, Yuna."

And then, he says the words I've desperately wanted to hear him say for what now feels like my entire life.

_"I love you, Yuna_._"_

This causes me to stop. I don't turn to look at him. I just stare straight ahead and the elevator. Then, I turn to him sharply, almost angrily.

"How can you say that to me?" I demand, my voice sounding almost hoarse. "You don't even know me."

I expect Tidus to look taken aback or even angry at this outburst, but he stands firm, his eyes rooted on mine.

"I know," he says. "I know I barely know you. But I know how I feel, Yuna. And I _know_ you feel the same way."

I want to turn back to the elevator and walk away with my back to him the entire time, but I know my resolve is completely gone. Because I know, deep down inside, that Tidus is right. That I love him and I always have loved him and I always will love him.

And I also know that I'm lying when I say I'll never forgive myself if I give him a second chance. I'll _never_ forgive myself if I don't give him another chance.

"So, if I told you I'd give you a second chance," I say, taking a deep breath as I speak, "what will you do?"

I know Tidus doesn't have to think hard before he takes a step towards me and says, "This."

And he kisses me.

We kiss so long and passionately that when we finally separate I feel a little flustered. He takes my hand gently in his and says, "Will you let me buy you dinner before you leave?"

I rarely ever curse, but I know the word that went through my mind when he mentioned me leaving was definitely "Shit."

"Well, remember how I said I was going to get on an earlier train? Maybe I can make that a later train?"

Tidus wraps his arms casually around my waist and says, "That sounds like a good idea."

There's a part of me that wants to tell him not to get too comfortable. I even want to explain to him that maybe it would be best if we kept a safe distance between us. But honestly, I couldn't help but feel as though maybe we _were_ at a safe distance. As much as I wanted to deny it, everything suddenly feels… well… _right_.

"So we're, we're back where we should have been from the beginning, right?" Tidus asks then.

I look at him, suddenly conscious that my laptop bag is still around my neck, my purse still hanging loosely on my arm, and my hand still daintily around the handle to my suitcase. I suddenly remember how I felt when I first arrived in Zanarkand for the summer, staring at the large, grand blitzball arena in front of me. I had done this internship for _one_ purpose—to make Tidus mine. And now, with the summer coming to a fast close, it appeared as though I finally had everything I'd come for.

"Yeah, I guess we are back where we should have been from the beginning," I say. And with that, I release the handle of my suitcase and kiss Tidus again.

* * *

Aaaaand, that's the end. I'm not gonna lie, the only reason I had Yuna end up with Tidus was because that was the original plan when I started this novel. Because, at the time, Tidus was kind of loosely based off of a real guy, you know, and at the time, I REALLY BELIEVED that NO MATTER WHAT, Yuna would always ONLY be in love with Tidus. So I went ahead and went with that storyline and made her get her little happy ending with Tidus. BUT, if I were to write this as a novel, she would probably end up with Baralai. He's the only nice guy, right? BUUUUT, my personal favorite, was Cetan. Even though Cetan is such an awful guy. He was my favorite character to write!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this story and all my other stories. I'd love to hear from you all~! AND, just for one last reminder, don't forget to PM me your e-mail address if you'd like to read the novelized _Combined Yards_ and its sequel. I promise to have those sent out before the end of the year.

THANK YOU EVERYBODY!


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